FINCHforum

My gouldian finch did some CRAZY thing yesterday!! I wanted to ask my Gouldian Experts if it may have been their mating dance. He bowed his head down low, the wiped his beak back and forth, they stood up, bowed again, and wiped both sides of his beak again, then stood up straight, straight straight as a board, and made himself kind of skinny and looked very tall, then all of a sudden he started jumping!!! Straight up and down both feet off the perch, no wings, just a jump a good inch or two off the perch, and he did this jumping like 5-8 times.... it was the WIERDEST thing I've EVER seen!!! I yelled, "What the HECK are you doing??"!!!! The mating dance is all i could think of. And i've never seen him do this before (and I have 3 gouldy's) This was only one of them doing this, and I've never seen him or any of the other ones do anything like this!!! He was looking at one of the other gouldians (he was on the perch with him) but they are all males, so I didn't know why he would all of a sudden out of no where start trying to impress one of his brothers....? Any thoughts my Gouldian Experts? Thanks everyone!!

That is a perfect description of the mating dance!!

Thanks debbie276 !! I knew you'd come through for me!!! I LOVED it! It was the coolest thing I ever saw!!!! I couldn't believe it!!! LOL, thanks again!

lnlovesorange

You just might enjoy this short video

https://youtu.be/rwoQqlQittI

Leo519 I LOVE IT!!! I wanted to get the video so bad, but he stopped!!! Now I've changed their cage, so he is getting used to his new cage so I don't know if he will do it for a while now. But i swear my finch jumped higher than that (maybe not, you know how our minds when remembering things can exaggerate?) It is VERY cool to see in person though. But GREAT video, thanks!!

debbie276 Meant to ask you, do they get into "breeding mode" after they have completed their moult? I was wondering this because I never saw them do that dance before, and also they are getting that LONG tail feather (what's it called again?) the two who's molts are wrapping up (just a few white pin feathers on the top of one of their heads) and other than that they are my BEAUTIFUL LG's again!!! I missed them during their molt.... they weren't like some, I could TELL they were molting even before i could see it on their faces, they're bodies just looked A MESS!!! But now the blue in the back tail feathers is GORGEOUS way prettier than before, and my PB had a spot on his chest looked like maybe missing feathers... but now it is so bright purple and no spots... as much as the molt kinda stinks (feathers everywhere, extra care & nutrition scared crapless of night frights and blood feathers..etc, etc....) It's SO worth it! But yeah, just wondering if they are in that breeding mode cuz of the warm weather and the completion of their molt?

Mine always molt when it get warmer and breed right after. The long feather is called a tail wire

lnlovesorange

Your boy is practicing his mating dance, for when the girls come along. Yes, it is quite entertaining .

Elana

lovezebs Awww... Pim looks so GOOD!!! And it looks like he's really got some moves huh? LOL, you are right it is quite something, I asked my coworker this morning, "have you ever seen a bird jump?!" Cuz i know I never have!!! It's the little things in life... that amuse me.... lol But it helps that I LOVE my birds, and I'm basically obsessed with EVERYTHING they do!!! Especially when it's something new like this!
I'm glad you put this picture up, I always see my gouldians moving thier heads in a funny way, and I'm like "oh my god they are twirling" (i'm a bit of a panicker) but they never are, of course, they just have REALLY flexible heads...maybe they have a distant cousin named the Owl? LOL

It's so funny seeing them hop up and down like that with both feet!!
At first it looks like they're going into some kind of seizure when they put their head down and start shaking with their eyes closed, and then the hopping starts! LOL