Strawberry Finch

Strawberry Finch

The Strawberry Finch is called many things, including Red Avadavat, Tiger Finch, and Strawberry waxbill. The scientific name is Amandava Amandava. The name that fits best with the bird's appearance is certainly Strawberry Finch. It really does look like a little strawberry. Well, the adult male does anyway. Originating from Asia, this cute little bird is teeny tiny. Like most finches, this finch is about 3-4 inches in length. The male, in full mating plumage, is a mixture of brown and deep rich red. The red covers the chest, belly, throat, parts of the head, and the backside. The tail and parts of the wing are black and covering most of the bird are dozens of little white dots, giving the bird its distinctive strawberry look. The female is a light brown color with a few white dots on her body. The chest and belly are colored a creamy yellowish orange color. Both the male and female have shiny red bills and flesh colored legs. Their beautiful plumage and their pretty song are what makes them a very sought after bird. The song can be described as flute like.

These birds tend to have problems with their nails becoming too long. This is fixed by simply trimming their nails regularly and by having a rough textured branch or two in their cage to help file their nails a bit.

In the wild, they live in open spaces. Places like grasslands, open woodland, fields of various sorts and open brush. The places are generally nice and warm. For this reason, the bird does best in a nice warm habitat in captivity. If they don't get adequate sunshine and warmth, the male, especially, will show this in his feathering. He will not be bright red and beautiful, but rather dull and some males will actually turn a somber black color.

Their favorite foods in the wild are things like flies, pupae, meal worms, and seeds. You can purchase small meal worms and sometimes you can even buy flies at pet stores as little treats for your bird. But a diet of nutritious finch seed and a small pellet will ensure you have a healthy bird. Remember to add in some fresh fruits and veggies as snacks. Spinach is a favorite of this little bird. Grit with charcoal and a cuttlebone are essentials for this type of bird as well. Always keep in mind to give fresh clean water daily. In addition to the daily drinking water, a nice bowl of water set in the bottom of the cage for a few hours once or twice a week is a really fun idea for this type of bird as well because they tend to love splashing around in the water.

Being a small skittish bird, they are not generally thought of as trainable. They are owned as pets mainly for their beauty and song. They tend to be a bit more expensive than other types of finches.

Cage size: You want a cage that is big enough for your bird or birds to fly around and get plenty of exercise. These birds do well in groups. They generally get along well with other similarly sized birds. The only exception is with multiple males in breeding season. Males tend to become aggressive and fight (sometimes females will also become aggressive during mating season).

Common Diseases and problems:

• Ingrown feathers
• Heat stroke
• Egg binding
• Mites
• Colds (viruses)
• Tumors