what kind of finch is this?

[Debbie39]

I'm sorry my first post is a question. I went to the local pet store today(he deals only with local breeders on any animal he takes in) for supplies for my zebra finches and found this little guy. The pet store owner did not know what kind of finch it was, just that some people brought it in a couple of weeks ago and said they could not care for it any more. Being the finch lover I now have it and cannot find out what kind it is. Its hard to get a real crisp picture of him/her with my cell phone, he/she in much prettier in person vs the photo.

[lovemyfinch]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Don't quote me on this but if you look in species on the Finch Information Center (left side of the screen), he almost looks like a pintailed Whydah that is not in breeding condition.

[Domenic]

I agree it's definitely a pintailed whydah.

[BigBear0007]

A Pintailed Whydah male.
If it was a hen it would be much plainer looking.
When he comes into condition, he will have blue/black tail
that is about twelve inches long.

[Debbie39]

Thank you all so much. I will try to get a better photo of him/her later if I can. I looked on internet after ya all told me what type he/she is. It looks just like the females I saw on the information pages. If its a male, do you think its young? The males I saw have solid black on them this one has chestnut colored feathers on the center of its head where the small area of black feathers are. Most of its coloring looks mottled, there isnt any solid areas of color except the white on its belly.

[B CAMP]

Welcome to the forum ,if you fill in your profile with where you live it makes it a lot easier to answer questions sometimes ,have you checked out the finch information center there is a lot of good reading there
http://www.finchinfo.com/birds/finches/ ... /index.php

[Debbie39]

thank you-I filed out my profile a tad more.
I did read and yup you guys rock! it is a male. Now to find a name for him & and decide what to do-build him a large flight type enclosure or find placement with someone who has others of his type. I dont see me getting him hens and other finch types for them to lay eggs in their nests.I went to this pet store(again, they only buy birds & puppies from local breeders) actually looking for a nice male for my pied female and this fellow was in a cage alone above the zebras, I asked what he was and they didnt know. I just felt the need to buy him when the pet store didn't know what he was & they've had him 2 weeks. I knew I could find out about him pretty fast with a little effort. This way I can meet his dietary needs vs the pet store throwing him whatever. Ive been doing tons of reading since ya all told me what he was, thank you so much.

[Queen_Bee]

Lucky find! Enjoy!!

[monotwine]

Yip I would hazard a guess at a whydha too. I get them here in the garden. They can be very agressive to other finches when in breeding condition, so you may have to keep him seperately. They usually do well in large aviaries where their plumage can be put to best visual benefit.

[BigBear0007]

I still say you have a male.
He is too white on the chest and belly to be a hen.
A hen would be more brown.
I am going by your pcs.

Jerry

[twinspot]

actually is a Vidua macroura male, in a few months have a long tail.

I have one, but is a ornmental bird but their way of breeding is parasitic, similar to the cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

Do you know cuckoo history?
therefore, nurses need

[L in Ontario]

My daughter bought a pair of Pintail Whydah's believing they were m/f - they turned out to be 2 males (in opposite breeding cycles!).

They certainly are aggressive to most other finches when breeding and she had to separate them into their own cages and yes they do require extra large aviaries/cages to allow for their very long tails (when in breeding condition).

[Debbie39]

I have done so much reading about this finch my head hurts lol. I guess I got lucky, I got him and the cage he was in, the cage looks brand new and its probably worth $40-$45 off the floor will check when I go back for seed. I paid $15 for him & the cage since the pet store had no idea what he was. I wanted to build a finch aviary on my huge florida room anyway so welcome home Wylie the Lone Whydah I get to build the aviary for him and his potential wives & potential st helens finches. He is real alert, he seemed to enjoy looking out the window but boy is he quiet. After your advice and my reading I plan to keep him away from the zebras and only combine him with what is known to be compatible with him.
pic of Wylie in the sun.

oh, I read one 2 sites that the male has the red beak like wylie and the female & juvinille males have greyish beak.

[lovemyfinch]

$15 What a steal.

[FinchNerd]

AMAZING find! Wow! I'm so glad that he has found such a good home! I hope that you are able to get him a female and have some beautiful babies!
Please keep us updated and post pics when he gets his new home and especially when he gets his breeding plumage!