Aussie Finch Forum

hi folks,

as i live in the blue mountains, i would prefer to keep finches that will roost in a nest through our cold winters rather than perch. do ruddies use roosting nests? have never kept them before, but they have recently caught my eye.

thanks in advance,

justin

p.s - russell kingston's book is ambiguous, stating that ruddies don't use a roosting nest, but have been recorded taking over (bengalese) old nests for winter...

No Justin, they don't use roosting nests. Any attempt to nest is an attempt to breed.

my pair shared a roosting nest with some orange breasts for a few weeks until the orange breasts kicked them out.

Maybe you need to give them an extra nest site or 2 then.

thanks for the feedback. there will be at least 3 or 4 spare nests in the aviary, so they might use one when the temperature drops... still undecided whether i'll be adding them at all, but it's good to have plenty of info. any other evidence out there?

I did after they got kicked out. they never showed any signs of breeding ever, no eggs or defensiveness... anyways... I'd say maybe but not usually.

My redcheek cordons roost in a wicker basket in winter. Don't see why some ruddies woulndt

Just did a night check of my birds as recently moved a pair of ruddies into a bigger avairy and found the male tucked up nice in a wicker tube type nest and the female perched on a branch close by. Does this mean 50% use a roosting nest and 50% don't??