Aussie Finch Forum

Some times you just need to be patient.
Each season I breed good numbers of Tri and White Headed Munias but no Black Headed.
The reason was simple I just couldn't locate any that had true Black Heads.
Then just on a year ago I located 3DNA'd pairs, they were young birds at about 70% adult coloured.
Since then the 6 have coloured and are in great condition but I waited and waited but not one chick.
The Tri's and White Headed were continually successful yet no Blacks, I was getting concerned.
Then this morning I was happy to see 4 young sitting in a row, at last.
The point to make is you just have to be patient, some birds just need time to get serious.
Lets hope the other 2 pair are feeding chicks and away they will go.
I have noticed my colonies of other Munias fledge chicks in waves, I think one nesting pair will stimulate
other pairs to get down to breeding.

it's great to see these birds being looked after by someone.
Great work!:)

The fledging in waves thing is interesting. I don't have any of the Nuns presently but any time I previously kept them in colonies (even just 2 pairs sometimes) they would very regularly all fledge clutches of young within a few days of each other. I noticed this with White-headed & Black-headed which I've had a few colonies of each, but I have only ever housed Tri-coloured Nuns as single pairs.

Congrats mate, that's great. Funny you say that about the "wave like" breeding pattern. I know a local breeder who breeds the tri's and he says the exact same thing. He had really limited success breeding them one pair per aviary but in a colony 3 pairs + the seemed to spur each other on.

On a side note there are no Grand mannikins in Australia are there?

I wish

Are the White headed munias same as white headed nun? If so, those birds are beautiful.

Munia and Nun are two different names for the same family Blujay so yes. Congratulations E.O. So glad to hear you are succeeding with a number of the Munia species. They are all under kept partially due to the need to keep them in seperate avairys, partially due to being a bit harder to sex. But (sadly) mostly because people just do not appreciate the beauty of the monochromatic birds.
LML

The 'wrinklies' still call them nuns

The 'sticklers' say that birds should not be named on the 'you know what I mean' principle

Take your pick

I am a wrinkely and I still call them Nuns and Silver Headed not White Headed especially if I am replying quickly without thinking.
In the past years Qld was the major area where they were bred. Good Climate, plenty of Panic Grass and away they would go.