FINCHforum

Hey, everyone! This is my first post, I'm glad to be here! I'm sorry for the length, you can skip down to the list at the end if you want the meat of the post.
My hand-built wire form cage is nearly ready (post coming later describing that fun process) and I'm in the market for some birds! I was first introduced to the idea of owning finches when I was aimlessly browsing in Petsmart and saw the cage of Society finches. I remember being blown away by their beauty and falling absolutely in love with the birds in that cage and I vowed that I would own some. I made note of the name and went home to research, but when I got on the internet, none of the Society finches I saw looked anything close to as beautiful as the ones in Petsmart and when I went back to the store a few months later they didn't look the same either. I still don't understand what happened and I've chalked it up to magic.
But I have an obsessive nature and couldn't let the idea go so I began doing more and more research on owning finches, motivated by the vague idea that maybe I would find some that beautiful again. I began building my cage and learning about diet. And I began researching breeds. Of course my world was expanded once I started my research and I can no longer settle for any old Society. When I saw a picture of the Chestnut-Breasted Mannikin, the feeling returned, but in a different, better way. Absolutely gorgeous. The Pearl-Headed Mannikin, same thing. The Tricolored Munia, Black-Headed Mannikin, also amazing.
I want these finches badly but I cannot seem to find a place to buy them anywhere. The Finch Farm sort of has a monopoly on online finch sales but I can't find the Chestnut-Breasted Mannikin on their site anymore and have never been able to find any others. I live in the middle of nowhere, Northeast Louisiana, and the closest bird fair was a couple weeks ago in Ponchatoula, I missed it. (If you know of any fairs or breeders near me lemme knooow)

So: I need your help, wonderful Finch Forum members. I'm not plugged into the network the way a lot of you are, I don't know who to talk to that'll tell me who to talk to about finding these finches.

If you have any information at all about where to find these species of finches, please let me know!
- Chestnut-Breasted Mannikin
- Tricolored Munia/Nun (I already have a tentative source for these)
- Grey-Headed Silverbill (known as the Pearl-Headed Mannikin on finchinfo)
- Black-Headed Mannikin/Munia/Nun
- White-Headed Mannikin/Munia/Nun
If you have any tips on any species similar to these, I would also love to know. (not really looking for Indian/African Silverbill, Black and White Mannikin, Magpie Mannikin or Bronze-Winged Mannikin)

Thank you guys so much!
Catherine

Neighbor Boy Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care. Unfortunately, many of the mannikins come from the Indo-Pacific area, and since there has been a problem with bird flu in that area, birds are no longer imported from there, which makes them much harder to find now. I believe Colt has worked with some of the mannikins, and he is in NE Texas.

There is another source if you are considering shipment.
Try Dave Calvin @
https://birdproduct.com/product-categor ... -waxbills/
He once told me that the website is reasonably up to date as far as what he has in current stock.

He is in Scottsdale Az and has large covered outdoor aviaries with all sorts of birds.
No connection to the business but I have visited and bought from him. I think his stock is generally of good quality.

Prices are perhaps a bit pricey and of course air shipment will add $100 or more to the cost.

Sally

Thanks for your reply, Sally! I had no idea about the bird flu problem, that makes sense. I'll PM Colt and ask him if he has any birds available.

Thank you!

paul-inAZ

Thank you so much for this source! They're sold out of the birds I want but I've added my name to the waitlist.

Hi fella,

After reading your first post to me it seems that your gonna go a long way, meaning you've got a thirst for knowledge when it comes to birds,

The same as me when I was only a young kid and I still have that thirst of knowledge today,

The more you know the better understanding of birds as a bird fancier you'll become.

It's an absolute credit to you that you've really studied and researched your chosen birds that you like before you've purchased, that I like

Sadly many don't research first and then come stuck with problems

I'm sorry that I can't really help you with contacts of bird breeders etc as I'm to far away from you here in England

Be lucky mate

Hi,

I must admit I first had a giggle when reading you found Societies beautiful, but it seems you've had a better look since!

However I am most impressed that you have still settled on the idea of keeping munias/mannikins rather than the more obviously eye-catching and easier to get and breed Zebras and Gouldians.
I myself, being lucky enough to live in a country rich in Lonchura species, keep a dozen species of these. Of your choices, the White-headed Munias/Nuns would be dirt cheap to buy here (like 30c or so each) but I am quite sure you would not travel this far for them!
I also have both Black-headed and Chestnut-breasted, though these are kind of hard to get even here. Tricolor I can only dream about!
You haven't mentioned the Spice Finch alias Scaly-breasted//Nutmeg Munia, but it is a species with a subtle beauty and should be relatively easy to get.

Anyway, these finches will be great for a mixed aviary as they tend to be very hardy and peaceful. Some people warn against mixing them as they could cross-breed, but I found that if they are given a choice of partners of their own species, they prefer those - better to buy say 4 birds of each species rather than just two!
And many of these are rather reluctant breeders anyway.

While waiting to get the birds themselves, consider getting hold of this fantastic book detailing all species of this group:
https://www.amazon.com/Munias-Mannikins ... 0300071094
It is not really about keeping them in captivity but provides a great overview about their diversity, showing you many species you will never ever see alive!

Stuart whiting

Thank you so much for this! I think I just like to learn as much as I can about whatever I’m doing and make sure that I’m doing it all as well as I’m able. Finches and everything surrounding them and their care is fascinating to me and I love taking on ongoing projects like this. I feel like having the birds themselves will only be a percentage of the joy I get from the whole experience, a lot of it will be doing the research, building the cage, figuring out the diet, all the nuances and decisions involved with all the rest of it. I think that’s the whole point!

w.l.
I’m so thrilled about this response!
I have to be clear: I’m only planning on owning finches as pets, I don’t think I’ll be diving into the world of breeding anytime soon. I have a 36”x26”x26” cage that I built myself and I’m planning on getting no more than three or four birds, all males. (Not promising I won't expand my cage and collection in the future, though ) I hope I'm still worth your time!
You say White-Headed Munias are cheap there (by the way, so cool to hear from someone in Indonesia, hi!). I would love one. Do you have any experience shipping birds? If they're so cheap I would have no problem eating the cost of shipping, which is outrageous even from places in the U.S and I'd imagine even worse internationally. We'll have to figure it out.
I would also be so, so happy to get a Chestnut Breasted Mannikin, they're my dream. I'm kind of cooling on the Black-Headed Munia, though. And I think I'm going to wait it out for the Grey-Headed Silverbill, they're up there with the Chestnut in my priorities.
Re: the Spice Finch, that's right! I'll probably end up with one of these bad boys. They've been in the corner of my eye since the start of my breed research. I only didn't lump them in with this post because I have been able to find a few places to get them. Actually, do you have any of these available? If you do and I'm ordering other birds from you I might as well add one to my list.
Let's talk, then! Prices, shipping, etc. PM me!

P.S. Thank you for the book recommendation, that's so cool! I've added it to my Amazon wishlist

Neighbor Boy Just FYI, importing birds is a challenge in itself. It isn't just the cost of shipping, the birds have to go into a quarantine station for 30 days. You have to pay the daily rate for keeping the birds in quarantine, plus you almost have to have a broker to do all the paperwork needed, plus pick up the birds on arrival, take them to the quarantine station, etc. It is such a hassle/expense that only brokers who deal in large numbers undertake importing. To top it all off, you wouldn't be allowed to import from Indonesia (once again, bird flu raises its ugly head). Sigh, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but didn't want you to get your hopes up too high.

Neighbor_Boy, basically, forget about getting birds shipped from here - the burocracy involved would far outweigh the gain. The only remotely easy option, from the Indonesian side, would be visiting the country on a holiday, then you could get a souvenir export permit for just two specimens per person - bring hubby and/or kids/friends, and you can multiply that amount! And then you'd face your own country's burocracy...

Talking of Chestnut-breasted, I am quite sure what you'd get in the US is the already domesticated Australian form:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aj5sf1OsJIY/T ... G_7480.JPG
If you think that is gorgeous, what do you say about the subspecies occuring in Indonesia?
http://www.efinch.com/birdpix3/sharpii_cbm.jpg

Hmm, your cage is indeed quite small (though I know the typical hobby cage is even smaller), when you were talking of building it yourself, I kind of imagined an aviary. It should be OK for 4 birds (it can be hard to ensure that you buy 4 males though), but many Nuns in particular don't do well in small cages where they become lethargic and fat and eventually sick, while in an aviary they would be active and fit. Domesticated, captive-bred birds like AU Chestnut-breasted would thrive in your cage better. Of the "wild" species, ones like the Spice Finches could do better than Nuns.

Sally, it seems traders occasionally manage to get past burocratic hurdles though, don't they? Thinking of that shipment with strawberries that got into the US via Singapore a year or two ago.
I know that some birds also reach Europe via 3rd countries - I wonder if some determined souls also get birds into the US via say Mexico?

Anyway, should any Asian birds find their way into the US somehow, ideally they should go to breeders rather than end their days as solo pets without offspring.

In the meantime, you are still lucky enough to get regular imports from Africa, though Neighbour Boy has already ruled out all but one of the Mannikins from that region.

Maybe I'll have to settle on sending a cageful of White-headed Nuns from a local bird market this way!
The rather grotty and overcrowded conditions they are kept in reflect their status as the 3rd most common local munia here, and the corresponding low price they fetch.

w.l. wrote: Hi,

I must admit I first had a giggle when reading you found Societies beautiful, but it seems you've had a better look since!

However I am most impressed that you have still settled on the idea of keeping munias/mannikins rather than the more obviously eye-catching and easier to get and breed Zebras and Gouldians.
I myself, being lucky enough to live in a country rich in Lonchura species, keep a dozen species of these. Of your choices, the White-headed Munias/Nuns would be dirt cheap to buy here (like 30c or so each) but I am quite sure you would not travel this far for them!
I also have both Black-headed and Chestnut-breasted, though these are kind of hard to get even here. Tricolor I can only dream about!
You haven't mentioned the Spice Finch alias Scaly-breasted//Nutmeg Munia, but it is a species with a subtle beauty and should be relatively easy to get.

Anyway, these finches will be great for a mixed aviary as they tend to be very hardy and peaceful. Some people warn against mixing them as they could cross-breed, but I found that if they are given a choice of partners of their own species, they prefer those - better to buy say 4 birds of each species rather than just two!
And many of these are rather reluctant breeders anyway.

While waiting to get the birds themselves, consider getting hold of this fantastic book detailing all species of this group:
https://www.amazon.com/Munias-Mannikins ... 0300071094
It is not really about keeping them in captivity but provides a great overview about their diversity, showing you many species you will never ever see alive!

Very true and well said

Neighbor Boy wrote: Stuart whiting

Thank you so much for this! I think I just like to learn as much as I can about whatever I’m doing and make sure that I’m doing it all as well as I’m able. Finches and everything surrounding them and their care is fascinating to me and I love taking on ongoing projects like this. I feel like having the birds themselves will only be a percentage of the joy I get from the whole experience, a lot of it will be doing the research, building the cage, figuring out the diet, all the nuances and decisions involved with all the rest of it. I think that’s the whole point!

Sounds like yer gonna make a great bird man