Is It Normal For A Finch To Peck On Another Finch?

[Art3mie]

I was at a local pet shop today and spotted 2 owl finches. They were sitting on a perch next to each other, one of them had a bald spot on its neck and the other kept on pecking at it. At first I thought they weren't getting along but when the pecking finch flew away to another perch and the finch with the bald spot joint him I got a little confused.

I don't own any finches yet, so I'm not sure if this is a normal activity for the birds but it looked a little strange to me. Can anyone tell me what the finches were doing?

[lovezebs]

Art3mie
Hi there and welcome.

Regarding your question.
A lot of Finch species enjoy preening (grooming) each other, and it is normal behaviour.

However, at times preening can become an obsession and turn into plucking, which is not a good thing (as you noted). Sometimes a breeding pair will pluck themselves and one another to line a nest (if there isn't enough nesting material) . Sometimes a bird will pluck itself or it's partner due to boredome or frustration or anxiety or lack of nutrition. There are many reasons why it might start. However it becomes a real problem when it becomes an obsession.

Plucked feathers, will usually grow back in a few weeks. However, if the plucking continues indefinitely, eventually the feathers in these spots may not come back. Also it can cause skin problems etc.

If you have a pair who are habitual pluckers, the only sure way to stop it that I know of , is to place them in seperate cages.

Please feel free to ask any questions at any time. Sorry it took a while to answer this one. I didn't see your post. What sort of finches are you thinking of getting in the future? Best of luck and warm wishes.

~Elana~

[MiaCarter]

Elana nailed it. Sounds like preening gone awry into the realm of plucking.

To expand on her reply....

To remedy this, you typically reduce stressors. If that doesn't resolve it, you need to separate the birds for a while. Once a bird is plucked, it's more likely to continue getting plucked. Sometimes all you need to do is remove the plucker, allow the pluckee's feathers to grow back and then return them to each other's company and the problem is finished.

Some birds can suffer from OCD-like habits, but it's more common in more intelligent species like parrots.

They can also self-pluck, which can be devastating and difficult to remedy. They can literally pluck themselves bald. It's rather rare in finches -- I've never seen a finch pluck itself clean. But many larger, more intelligent birds like parrots will do this.

So yeah, plucking can be tricky.

Another behavior that came to mind when I read your post title about pecking was beak fencing and pecking. It's different from what you describe. Two birds will literally fence with their beaks sort of pecking a bit in the process.
This can be an act of real aggression or more of a relaxed "back off and leave me alone, please."

Finches really are fascinating little creatures. So fun and clever. I love observing my guys.

[Art3mie]

lovezebs & MiaCarter thank you both for the detailed explanations, I'm glad to hear the finch wast getting hurt.

What sort of finches are you thinking of getting in the future?

I'm still trying to figure out which species to get... I only plan on getting one couple, maybe a second couple down the road, so I want to make sure I'm happy with my decision since they live for around 10 years... So much choice out there lol

[delray]

Art3mie . Hi, regarding which species to get, I think you should get society finches! They are very calm, have great personalities and are very fun to keep. They do breed very easily, so if you just want to enjoy them 2 males is the way to go. That's what I have:

Good luck!!!!

[Zebrafincher]

Hello there,

Be also aware that finches may pick on eachother if they find the environment stressful, esp. in pet stores (where there can be overcrowding) with lots of finches. When I got my second star finch, Merl, he was completely bald, as he was being picked on by the other 16 in the cage. His hair grew back and he's fine.

Good luck

Zebrafincher.

[delray]

Zebrafincher well said