combassou finch breeding?

[josh1810]

Does anyone breed these birds? I have a pair that I am wondering about how I should go about doing it.

Thanks for any help.

[jonvill]

I'm no expert on these finches but I believe they are parasitic.
I can't remember which finch they prefer to use to raise their young.

[kristofer]

your best bet is to probably and try information on them when they are in the wild. We don't get them in Europe as far as i know but then again i could be wrong, so i really cannot help with information apart from providing this link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_indigobird

[isobea]

josh1810 - I don't really know anything about these birds, but since I was curious I decided to research them. Couldn't find much info on Google, so went to the German Google. I found a website with some information that might help you get started.

- there are 6 sub species
- the male has a breeding plumage (the dark phase) and molts twice year like the strawberry finches
- they live in many areas of Africa south of the Sahara
- their call and song are very similar to the red-billed fire finch
- they spend a lot of time on the ground looking for food
- they are often found in mixed flocks with the red-billed fire finches
- an aviary is definitely preferable to keeping them in a cage
- the winter temperature should not drop below 40 F
- they are parasitic: they lay their eggs into the nests of the fire finches
- their eggs are just as white as the host's eggs but slightly bigger
- the Combassou babies mimic the begging behavior of the FF babies perfectly
- if you have a VERY LARGE aviary, it is beneficial to keep several pairs of Combassou finches (they will breed more readily). But you would also need several pairs of fire finches
- food: adult birds prefer several kinds of millet and canary seed (also sprouted). Also lettuce and greens, half-ripe grasses and weeds such as dandelion and chick weed.
- egg food, insects and meal worms are absolutely necessary for raising the babies

I hope this is helpful. Good luck and keep us updated.
Iso

[josh1810]

I have looked them up, but just can not find a whole lot of information on them. I have the one pair, but no host bird. I bought them at a bird show and the lady that sold them to me said " oh yeah they are really easy to breed and raise "! So after going home and what I could find on them were they were parasitic breeders. I was so mad... Lol...

Well I am going to try to get a pair of red billed fire finches I guess and try to get them to breed. I wonder if they would use orange cheek waxbills to host. I have those...

Hmm... Well we will see

Thanks forh re: everyone!!!

[wilkifam]

I've read that societies will readily raise them.

[haroun]

They're passive parasitic fibches, they and their hatchlings will not do any harm to the host eggs or chicks.
They prefer the Senegalese firefinch as host