FINCHforum

I have recently aquired finches and have posted a photo A Mixture? i know i have zebras and a reply told me societies. I spoke to the person I got them off and he says they are manequins (is the spelling right?). Are they a breed as I havnt heard of it in this site?

do they look like the birds in this link? http://www.finchinfo.com/birds/finches/ ... _munia.php

Societies are Mannikins (general name for a bunch of different birds - check out Crystal's Finch Information Center on the left nav bar) - you may have one or two in there, but I saw a LOT of orange/red beaks - zebras! Your societies will most likely have bi-color beaks (darker on top). Nice mess of birds!

Thanks for the helpful information. They look nothing like them and to think this guy has been breeding finches for years! I think I'd be safe to say they are societies.

Looking at this photo, which is the much clearer of the two, I would say you have Zebs and Societies. Societies are related to Munias/Mannikins so that would explain why your friend told you they were Mannikins.

The following info was taken from the Finch Information Center.


The society finch is a domestic species, and is not found naturally in the wild. It is most likely a domesticated form of L. striata swinhoei, the Chinese race of the Striated (or "White-backed") Munia. Another theory is that the Society Finch resulted in China as a man-made cross (fertile hybrid) between L. acuticauda and L. striata. Regardless of their origin, these finches have been selectively bred for centuries in Asia, producing relatively undemanding birds which will breed in small cages and exhibit strong parenting instincts. Interestingly, crossing the Bengalese and other munias tend to result in fertile hybrids (F2 generation) which are reluctant to breed and whose offspring may actually require Bengalese foster parents!

Thankyou for the reply Hilary, I got all these birds for free, I dont know much about them but happy to have found this site for help. Do you think I should separate some?

I didn't see the second pic - those are definitely societies with your zebras. Unless you have problems (or are lucky enough to have another aviary) I would think they should get along fine - societies get along with everybody. I'd just watch the zebras to make sure there isn't any bullying. Everybody seems relaxed in the pic - even your diamond dove!

yes, the dove was a bonus, didnt know it was adiamond dove, I also have two miniature quails foraging on the bottom of the cage!

You might want to remove the nests, otherwise you will soon have twice the number of birds you currently have as both Zebs and Societies breed like rabbits.

Good point - ain't that the truth! Wow, nobody's offered to give me a bunch of free birds.....

That's a lot of birds to start with! Congratulations.

I was browsing through and noticed your question about mannikins. I recently purchased some bronze-winged mannikins from PETSMART that look exactly like the birds w/ the dark back and white under side. Their heads are black, their wings are brown, and they also have a small green spot in the shoulder area when the light shines on them from the right angle. That's what sold me! Hope this helps

sounds like the Bronze Wing Mannequin Finch with a metalic green on the tips of the 'shoulders' and the top of it's head
I'll look for a good picture. I've seen a couple in person, but no pictures on my computer.

you really can't see the green on the shoulders

Thanks for the pic, I havn't noticed any green on mine yet, I'll gave to try and catch them when the sun is out! I have my first set of eggs, theres four eggs from my zebras, how long does it take for them to hatch?