FEATURE
Nests for Zebra Finches In the wild, where zebra finches breed in small colonies, both the cock and the hen help to build the nest. After a short ceremony, which includes a dance of courtship, the cock collects the material and the hen forms it into a nest. The typical nest is spherical with a very small entrance hole and is located in dense, thorny bushes. Obviously it is difficult to simulate this form of nest when cage breeding as we usually provide only one nest and offer no choice of the breeding pair. However, we are fortunate that zebra finches can be very accommodating in this respect. Aviary breeding gives more scope for zebra finches to behave as though they are in the wild. They can search for a nesting site, perform a mating ceremony and get on with nest building. By providing two nest-boxes for every pair, it is possible to ensure that there is little aggression. The nest boxes should be spaced as far apart as is practicable and, although they can be fixed at different heights, they should
never be placed one above another. When cage breeding, the nest-box
should be half filled with nesting material (we use hay) pushed into a rough nest shape. Before doing this the interior of the box should be treated with an anti- mite powder or liquid. We then place nesting material - such as coconut fibre - on the cage floor for the birds to complete the nests. Moss is also a good nesting material but avoid synthetics, such as carpet fibres. These can get tangled around the birds’ legs and damage them.
This year for the first
time, Gerald’s wife has used soft white feathers, out of a discarded duvet, as nesting material for her foreign birds. The zebra finches were also given a small quantity and their nests were soon white feather lined. One disadvantage is that with a white nest it is not so easy to see the eggs. Once a nest has been built, all remaining nesting material should be removed from the cage – and that includes millet sprays and green food. We have seen a cock zebra finch fly up to a
BIRD SCENE 13
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