Aussie Finch Forum

I'm curious if anyone on here has kept or bred these birds?

They are indigenous to SA and I have the opportunity to purchase some domestically bred birds on permit. I LOVE the look of these birds and from the limited info that I have read, they seem to be pretty peaceful and communal birds. However, I would be putting them in with Gouldian's and waxbills, so I would like to have as much info as possible before deciding to purchase them or not.

Any anyone can give info on these birds, it would be greatly appreciated

http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Scaly-feathered_Finch

http://weavers.adu.org.za/newstable.php?id=247

Are you referring to the Sporopipes sp ?

Last (and only) ones I've seen were in Larry Taylor's aviaries in Townsville in 1971 . . doubt if any still exist in Oz . .

But stranger things have happened at sea

They were called Moustache Finches, for obvious reasons

Not much help to you, I know . . but a little bit of nostalgia

Yes, latin name is Sporopipes squamifrons

Arthur, they don't seem to be that common here in the Western Cape but they are available in the Northern provinces and for me to fly them down. I can see why they are called Moustache Finches, lol. I really just love the look of this bird. They are definitely not as colorful as Gouldians etc but there is something very striking about them.

I'm just hesitant to bring down a few pairs, only to find that they are not at all compatiable in a mixed aviary. The breeder I can get them from has massive breeding flights compared to my aviary (4mx2mx2m).

I'm not sure if I should just jump in and give them a try or if I should just scratch the idea completely.

I had them in the 90's and they bred,sadly when my company took too much time, they went in the down size.
We actually called them Moustache Finches.
They will go to nest readily but require a high protein diet when feeding chicks.
Their biggest problem was that they really struggle in damp cold conditions.
They are generally a bird of the dry country and have similar problems that our Painted suffer from.
Very interesting bird, can be bossy at times but mine did not actually become aggressive.
They build a rather untidy small dome nest and lay a white background egg with grey/brown spots and smudges on them.

E Orix wrote:I had them in the 90's and they bred,sadly when my company took too much time, they went in the down size.
We actually called them Moustache Finches.
They will go to nest readily but require a high protein diet when feeding chicks.
Their biggest problem was that they really struggle in damp cold conditions.
They are generally a bird of the dry country and have similar problems that our Painted suffer from.
Very interesting bird, can be bossy at times but mine did not actually become aggressive.
They build a rather untidy small dome nest and lay a white background egg with grey/brown spots and smudges on them.

Thank you so much!!! This is just the info I was looking for. Our winters are wet and windy. Temp's don't get that cold (very seldomly drop below zero at night) but it can be weeks of rain. My aviary is 4mx2mx2m of which half is a wooden wendy house and the other half is an open, planted flight. The wendy house will be complete closed during winter, with access into the flight through a partially opened window. I can add heat to the wendy house if need be (it's a new aviary, not sure yet how warm the wendy house will stay in winter). I also put clear plastic drops on the open flight area to block off wind.

Do you think this would be sufficient for them to survive a damp winter or would it be safer to just scrap the idea? The birds are from up North, where the winters are dry...

Thanks for the feedback everyone