Basic Facts About Star Finches

Star Finches, or the Neochmia Ruficaudas, are a variety of the Estrildid Finches native to Australia. This little bird loves to inhabit dry grassland and savanna habitats. A vivid red mask that stretches the length of the Star Finches' face and down past the cheeks of a male blends beautifully with the olive green of their back and beige-yellow of its underbelly. Star Finches get their name from the petite, white star-like dots that circle their dark eyes, crown the head and extend from the chin to their flanks. Whether male or female, both are graced with handsome red beaks.

At an average of 4.5 inches, or 11 centimeters, the gender can be identified rather easily by their masks. As mentioned, Star Finches have a brilliant red mask extends the length of a male's face, but females (or hens) have little facial color with no red under their chin. The olive-green of a male turns to a greyer green and the yellow-beige becomes more beige. The female is speckled with quite a few more stars under the lower jaw.

Although this is the primary coloring of a Star Finch, there are variations, mutations so to speak. These include the Yellow Face, the Pied and the Fawn Star Finches. The Yellow Face Star Finch is graced with an orange colored face rather than a red one. The Pied sports splotches with no pigmentation and the Fawn's body color is toned down to a soft brown.

Despite the colors, Star Finches all have the same general diet. Feeding them proves to be less of a problem than describing their unique colors to a friend. One could use a simple Finch mix that includes the millet seeds of Siberian, German, Japanese, and Proso. It's also important to provide fresh vegetables and protein such as green leaf lettuce, boiled egg, carrots (shredded of course), spinach and broccoli (the top, not the stem). When watering, add a vitamin and mineral supplement to the dish or add a little something to their food mix. A cuttlebone for calcium and beak trimming, grit to aid in digestion of the seeds and fresh water for hydration should always be immediately available to the birds.

Star Finches are fairly easy to care for; they're not a demanding species and remain relatively even tempered in most situations. The biggest problem with this bird is their need for regular nail trims, lest an owner end up with scars to forever remind him or her of their bird should it get startled suddenly and try to fly away.

Since these beautiful birds are even tempered, they're a good contender for assorted bird species. Star Finches are social birds who fair well with their own species and with any other species with an even temperament as well. However, though they can be kept with many other birds, their best breeding grounds are when the male and female are together in a cage away from the rest of the group. They have a gentle disposition, but apparently are a little shy. They'll do their best breeding between degrees at seventy and seventy-five.

Finally, the male Star Finches will sing for their ladies. A male's song is hushed, but enjoyable as he puffs up his head feathers and dances for the female slowly going up and down in a swaying motion.