JACARINI FINCH
Latin Name:
Volatina jacarina
Other Names:
Jacarini, jacarina, blue-black grassquit, grassquit.
Mutations:
Fawn
Description:
Adult –
• Male – very similar to female out of season, in nuptial plumage, the whole body is dark black-blue.
• Female – light brown colour, darker brown primary feathers and tail. Belly, throat and chest all faintly streaked with light brown. Beak is brown-and-horn coloured, legs are grey.
Juveniles – when fledged they resemble duller females, sometimes the gape lobes are visible as well.
Sexing:
Best done when the male is in season, or by DNA sexing. In season the male is very obviously different!
Basic Breeding Info:
Average Clutch Size: 3 eggs
Incubation Period: 10-12 days
Leave nest: 10-12 days after hatching
Breeding Season: generally in Spring-Autumn. The male will colour up just prior.
Status in Australian Aviculture
Secure, becoming less common
Housing
These birds are best housed in an aviary, indoor or outdoor. Indoor aviaries must have some natural sunlight access, and a good airflow. Outdoor aviaries should be planted, and this will make the birds fell more at home, because they are usually very shy. A safety door is a must, as these birds are very fast and agile flyers, and will quickly escape if given the chance.
The aviary should be kitted out with brush, as Jacarinis rarely make their nests in boxes or baskets.
Aviaries should always be made so the solid shelter walls block out the inclement weather, as most finches are not very tolerant of cold, and jacarinis are no exception. A snug shelter will be needed in temperate areas. The aviary should get some sun in the morning, as jacarinis delight in sunning themselves on a branch in the morning sun.
A minimum sized aviary should be 2m long, 2.5m wide and 2m high.
Jacarinis are well suited as communal aviary birds. I have not witnessed any aggressive traits outside of the breeding season. Even then it is localised to the nest side and is mostly restricted to a threat display but no actual attempt to injure. Much has been said of their shyness but I have found them to be quite confiding within the aviary environment. During the breeding season the cock birds become very assertive in the live food tray and will snatch mealworms and gentles from your hand. Out of breeding season I have found them less assertive but very visible and not flighty or shy at all. As stated A double door is essential in keeping these birds, as apart from their normal agility and speed the males will fly right at you to be fed when breeding
Feeding
These guys should be fed a good quality finch mix, supplemented often with green foods and seeding grasses. In the breeding season, live food is a must, and termites are particularly appreciated. Greens should also be upped in frequency and amount during breeding. Shellgrit should be available at all times, as should clean fresh water.
Breeding
the courtship display can commence with some token giving or not. Initially the male chooses a display perch mostly in site of the proposed nest location. The hen is close by. He commences with a shrill cry which is then followed by a vertical leap with wings elevated and flashing the shoulder epaulettes. The display can continue all day into teh early evening.The feathers on the head are helmeted and the bib and tail feathers are flared. His choice of perch is often in a sunny location where I believe that the iridescent blue feathers are shown to best advantage.The vertical leap is quite high, between approximately 12-18inches. During the vertical rise, and at the highest point of ascent, the male flaps his wings energetically producing an audible snapping noise.Sometimes the display includes a "back flip". At a certain point the female makes herself visible from her secreted location.He follows her instantly and mating occurs, hidden, never in the open. The male Jacarini appears to provide the nesting material which the female weaves into position, although males can carry out the majority of the nest construction task themselves.The hen seems to determine the location of the nest.
The nest can be constructed in the open or in dense brush. Both locations are used in equal preference. The nests have never been more than one meter from the ground and have been situated on occasion half a meter from the ground or lower. It is a small cup shaped nest made predominantly from cocoanut fibre, spiders web if available , moss and minute sections of dried grass. The nest is very tightly woven. Incubation is about 10 days or on occasion 9. The young are very tiny. During breeding, Jacarinis are highly insectivorous, requiring a constant supply of livefood available at all times.Once hatched the chicks grow at a extraordinary rate. The uptake of livefood increases prior to egg-laying and reaches a crescendo as the chicks grow. In my case I have found that between hatching and fledging male and female feed the chicks equally but past fledging the male takes on this role almost exclusively. The male shares incubation duties but the female undertakes this task at night, with the male perched next to the nest. The male is a diligent and protective parent. Whilst both the hen and the cock defend the nest site to about a metre circumference from where it is situated, the male is particularly active in defence. Jacarinis are highly insectivorous whilst breeding.I feed gentles and mealworms, with mini mealworms being the right size for the relatively small chicks. However the male will section medium mealworms to accommodate the chick gape. The gape markings are a prominent white. The chicks, once fledged are somewhat disproportionate in size with oversized legs compared to the body. The male unfailingly finds the chicks within the aviary, no matter how big. The young energetically chase parents to be fed, on sight. Post fledging the young continue to consume mealworms whole. The young are tolerated in a large aviary whilst retaining immature plumage, although there are reports that male Jacarinins will not tolerate juveniles much past fledging, I have not found this to be the case. I have found however that cock Jacarinis ill not tolerate juveniles anywhere near a new nest site. It is necessary though to remove any last seasons juveniles prior to the commencement of the breeding season when they begin to show colour.
The chicks, at fledge, have a slightly wet appearance and are well camouflaged. They remain secretive until about day 7 post fledge. For all intents and purposes they resemble the appearance of a miniature tawny frogmouth. Whilst in the nest the chicks are very eager to be fed and quite often, in their exuberance, jump out of the nest. It is important be very vigilant in checking below the nest during this time and to replace any chicks that may have fallen out. This is especially important in nests containing 3 or more chicks because of the somewhat crowded conditions in such a small nest area. They will remain in the nest once replaced. However once the chicks have fledged they will not return to their nest.
Keeper Rating
This bird is best suited to medium to experienced breeders.
Approximate cost per pair in Australia:
Queensland:
$50
New South Wales:
$65 - $70
Victoria:
Normal $60
Tasmania:
$?
South Australia:
$60
Western Australia:
$65
exactly. 
