| Common Name: Finch - Gouldian Other Common Names: Gouldian Finches, Painted Finch, Rainbow Finch, Lady Gouldian Finch Scientific Name: Chloebia gouldiae Gouldian Finches are considered mono-morphic even though there are obvious differences in colour intensity between the sexes, male and female plumage remain very similar. Gouldian Finch Colouration: Gouldian finches occur naturally in three different head colours, the black-headed: autosomal but recessive to red heads, lacking the ability to express astaxantin or lutein fully orange-headed : autosomal recessive lacking astaxantin and eumelanin fully red-headed : sex linked dominant , lacking lutein and eumelanin in mask fully Gouldian Finch Breast Colours: There are many breast colours found in the lady gouldian finch. They are listed below in order of dominance. Purple Breasted: most dominant Lilac Breasted: recessive to purple breast but dominant to all others Rose Breasted : mode of inheritance unknown is recessive to lilac and white but dominant to white breasted can only be carried by hens, and is only visible when white breast gene is present in family line. White Breasted: recessive to purple and lilac but dominant to blue and pink ( read here for more on this mutation) Pink Breasted: Dominant only to blue breasted Blue Breasted: most recessive of the breast colours Gouldian Finch Back Colours There are three general back colours of the Gouldian Finch: Green Backed ( Gb): autosomal dominant Blue Backed (Bb): autosomal recessive Double Factor Yellow Backed ( DF YB) : sex linked recessive and a few combinations of these : Single Factor Dilute Backed (SfDb) sex linked reccessive / autosomal recessive Single Factor Pastel Blue Backed (sfPB) sex linked recessive/autosomal recessive Double Factor Pastel Blue Backed aka Silver Backed (dfPB) sex linked recessive autosomal recessive. From these you can get many of the modifications and mutations listed below. Gouldian Finch Description : Description: of Male and Female Gouldian Finch Length: 130-140mm. The breast and belly colours are usually used to determine sex. Males will have a brighter and darker colour of purple on the chest and the yellow of the belly will be darker and more intense than the female. The green back colour and the light blue around the face is again more intense in male gouldian finches. The males mask is also darker. Often the face mask in male gouldians is larger and clearer than the females. Male gouldians have unblemished masks ( do not exhibit black and then a subsequent colour like the hen gouldian finches do). Male gouldian finch wings and back are green, rump and upper tail coverts blue. Tail is long, pointed and black. Crown, face, chin and cheeks black, breast purple. The belly is yellow, tending to cream toward the vent and under-tail. Eyes are brown, the bill is horny white with a coral red tip or black tip Legs and feet are yellow. Female: similar to the male but not as brightly coloured. Male and female gouldian finches can be sexed visually as early as just fledged. Sexing is done by observing the back colour ( in normals) hen gouldians will be greyer then their male siblings and have slightly narrower heads. As adults the colours of the male gouldian are brighter than the female. Young Gouldians have a sheen on their plumage, which disappears after the adult moult. Gouldian Finch Basic Info: One of the most prized and sought after of the Australian grass finches Gouldian finches are one of the most popular cage birds in North America. Unlike their wild relatives Gouldian Finches are bred in several interesting and colourful mutations from simple head colour modifications to an all white bird, there is a mutation to suit all. Gouldian finches make an excellent addition to any finch collection. They are not an overly messy nor boisterous bird and get along well with all other finches. If you do house several together it wise never to have two pair as they will constantly bicker and cause each other major stress. A good rule of thumb is to house 1 pair with other finches or 3 pair or more if to be kept in a colony . Gouldian finches are wonderful singers ( slightly lighter then a canary) and have exquisite plumage. A must have finch not only for the beauty of it's song but also it's magnificent radiancy. The first European to discover the gouldian was Lord Gould in 1838. The finch is in fact named after the artists wife who died shortly on her return to Europe. From their humble beginnings in the savannahs of Australia to the homes of Aviculturists everywhere gouldian finches have had a very colourful past and their future looks endless. Longevity: Most captive gouldians are on average living up to 8 years of age in captivity. Gouldian finch hens rarely produce good clutches of eggs after their fourth year. Male gouldians can breed up to their final year. Gouldians which are bred have shorter life spans then those that are kept solely as pets. Gouldian Finch: Housing, Diet and Health Diet: Like all finches it is best to feed Gouldian finches very little seed as they are prone to obesity. The ideal diet consists of : sprouted millet seeds, green leafy vegetables, egg food, and cuttle bone. Charcoal is also very necessary in maintaining proper guttural flora. Housing: Gouldian finches are not a fussy bird when it comes to housing and will readily live in a small foot long cage or a huge flight. They do however need very clean accommodations as they are quite prone to bacterial infections. These should consist of bathing facilities, clean fresh water, sturdy perches 1/2" to 3/4" and nice big enclosed nests ( 12 cm X 13 cm X 16 cm) Unlike canaries gouldians nest in tree cavities and not on the limbs. They prefer big dark nesting facilites. To raise the chicks in. Behaviour in Captivity: Gouldian finches make an excellent addition to any finch collection. They are not an overly messy nor boisterous bird and get along well with all other finches. If you do house several together it wise never to have two pair as they will constantly bicker and cause each other major stress. A good rule of thumb is to house 1 pair with other finches or 3 pair or more if to be kept in a colony . Gouldian finches are wonderful singers ( slightly lighter then a canary) and have exquisite plumage. A true finch to have not only for the beauty of it's song but also it's magnificent radiancy. Health: Gouldians on the whole are a relatively healthy bird as long as they get a chance to bathe and are not overly disturbed. Gouldian Finches can be prone to stress related illnesses such as thrush and it is unwise to purchase un-coloured ( still in moult) birds as they are quite prone to thrush and unless an experienced breeder you may have gouldian fledgling deaths occur during this time. Many breeders prefer to leave chicks in quiet, enclosed areas with heat lamps to facilitate the juvenile moult. They do have a reputation of being soft or easily susceptible to disease, but that is because many gouldians are now bred ( fostered) under bengalese and these birds lack the immunities that are prevalent in parent raised gouldian finches. Longevity: Most captive gouldians are on average living up to 8 years of age in captivity. Gouldian finch hens rarely produce good clutches of eggs after their fourth year. Male gouldians can breed up to their final year. Gouldians which are bred have shorter life spans then those that are kept solely as pets. Breeding Gouldian Finches: Breeding Gouldian Finches is generally considered more difficult than breeding the more prolific Zebra Finches and Society's. Not a good choice for beginners. The main problem is getting birds in the same breeding cycle. Gouldian hens usually have quite dark black. red ot yellow beaks when fertile. Gouldian males have nice pearl toned glossy beaks when fertile. The male and female gouldian normally take turns incubating. He during the morning and early evening and her the rest of the time. Incubation for Gouldians is between 16 and 19 days. Usual gouldian finch clutch size is between four-six eggs. The hen gouldian will start to incubate after the last egg is laid ( usually on day 5 of laying). Gouldian Finch Chicks: Chicks: gouldian chicks hatch usually in the early morning and are born naked. After 3 days you start to notice soft down starting to emerge. Unlike other birds this down on gouldian finches is not extensive and does not cover a large portion of the body. At 6 days the birds are starting to get the beginnings of back feathers, and stubble appears at the rump. The eyes also open at this time. At 7 days the eyes are open. At 9 days the gouldian has a bit of a tail and more back feathers also wing feathers start emerging. It is best to band between now and it's twelfth day. At 12 days of age the chick is mobile in the nest and has quite a few of it's feathers. This is the time at which most gouldians are banded in captivity. Gouldian chicks start peering at the entrance and looking out into the world at about 16-18 days. The next few days ( day 22) the bird completes it's acquisition of feathers and fledges at about this time ( once the tail and body are fully feathered). Some gouldian chicks may come out pre-maturely. You can catch and place them back in the nest with their siblings if they keep hopping back out you will have to leave them out. Once gouldian finch chicks are fledged the parents start cutting back on food and insisting chicks follow them. This is now the beginning of weaning. This usually happens ytwo to three weeeks or so after the gouldian finch chicks are out of the nest. After 4 weeks of fledging chicks are fully weaned. It can take 150 or so days from egg to completely moulted out gouldian finches on a perch. The average is 5-6 months in the wild, but some gouldian finches at LGFC have been known to moult in 130 days ( just over 4 months) . They are best left alone at this time as they are extremely susceptible to any stress related illness and should be allowed to moult out without any undue stress that can complicate the moult. Moulting: Gouldians Moult every 6 to 12 months depending on the individual and the wear and tear of it's plumage. Moulting is exceptionally stressful on Gouldians and they should be given plenty of high protein foods as well as cuttlebone at this stage in their lives. They should also be given some iodine to decrease stress on the birds. Below you will see the growth of the gouldian chick. From 1 day old to fully mature. You can see an extensive list of gouldian finch chick pics here. TONS of Gouldian Finch Videos to enjoy |
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| 1 days old |
3
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5
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7
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| 12
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21
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44
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210 days old |
Some Gouldian Finch Mutations not listed above: blue backed white breasted,
first factor yellow back white breast, second factor yellow back purple breasted
Not yet accepted mutations:
cinnamon, australian yellow, australian yellow + blue, dark factor, INO.
Modifications: albinistic aka red eyed,
melanistic, pied, sea green, sea green white breast, red
line, gynandromorph , clear wing, noble blue,
bad white breast
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Many photo links are courtesy of : ERYTHRURA and may not be used without written consent of originating photographers