Society finches are breeding again

[Stuart whiting]

Icearstorm

Well don't to yer mate, got some nice Bengie's there

They'll soon be fledging, anytime now

Be lucky

[Icearstorm]

Still not fledged! The chocolate one looks to have Macbeth's coloration.

[Flight Feathers]

Wow that's a lot of eggs!

[Icearstorm]

Flight Feathers

I think what happened was that the two marked fawn sisters laid 5 eggs each, and the chocolate female laid another one later. This time only one female laid 6 eggs, 3 of which hatched.

[Icearstorm]

All three of the babies fledged this morning. I removed the nest boxes to avoid more eggs.

[lovezebs]

Icearstorm

Congratulations!!!

So no more babies?

[Icearstorm]

lovezebs

I'm thinking no more for the societies or gouldians this season; Macbeth laid three clutches this year, Prisma seems infertile, and Psych looks a bit rough. I did manage to pick up a decent-sized cage that will fit my room better than my other breeding cage. I plan to let the Java finches have a go in it once I get everything set up.

[lovezebs]

Icearstorm

Good luck.

[Icearstorm]

I came back today, and all of the birds are fine, albeit some with missing tails. The babies had already destroyed their tail feathers the first day after fledging, so maybe that's just what happens when they're learning to fly.

[lovezebs]

Icearstorm

LOL, those Societies and their ever missing tails. Thank goodness those tails grow back pretty fast .

[Icearstorm]

lovezebs

I wonder why they lose them so easily. The other birds seem to have harder feathers that they're more reluctant to drop.

[lovezebs]

Icearstorm


I know that it's an automatic defense mechanism for them, as in you grab the bird's tail, but not the bird itself, but not sure why Society tails are so much more sensitive than other species.

Can't tell you how many times I've reached to grab a Socie, only to be left with a handfull of tail feathers, and a Society that took off, looking like a baby chicken. The first time it happened, I almost had a heart attack .

[Icearstorm]

lovezebs

Fortunately I haven't had one's entire tail come off in my hand, but the two females do lose quite a few body feathers whenever I have to handle them. Perhaps the feather loss has to do with the environment their ancestors adapted to; it would make sense for birds with tail autotomy to come from areas with denser undergrowth where hawk sneak attacks were common. Birds that regularly fly in open areas probably wouldn't benefit as much, when predators could be seen and would dive from above, rather than behind.

[lovezebs]

Icearstorm

Look Ma, no tail!!!!

[Icearstorm]

lovezebs

Hehe. Still a nice-looking bird, though.