New Jersey Finch Quest

Stizoptera (Poephila or Taeniopygia) bichenovii
OTHER COMMON NAMES: English: Bicheno finch, owl finch, owl-faced finch, banded finch, ringed finch, black-ringed finch; French: Diamant de Bichenov; German: Ringelastrild; Spanish: Pinz? de Dos Barras.

Distribution: Australia in southeastern New South Wales, Queensland (except the southwestern part), and northern area of Northern Territory.

Description: Male, crown, neck, shoulders, and further upperparts, gray-brown, with very fine bars. Black wing-coverts with white dots. Tail black; rump white. Forehead black; one black band across the throat and bordering the cheeks; another black bar bordering the breast from shoulder to shoulder. Throat, face and underparts white; the latter with a buff sheen. Eyes dark brown, beak gray, legs dark gray-brown. The female's breast is slightly paler; blackish gray wing coverts. This species is the smallest of all Australian grassfinches Length: 3-4 in.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: 3.9?4.3 in (10?11 cm). Sexes alike.

Adult Male: General colour above, including crown of head, pale brown, with fine barrings of dark brown, coarser towards rump; band across rump black, remainder of rump and upper tail-coverts white; upper wings like back, remainder of wings brownish-black, spotted white; tail-feathers black or brownish-black; lores, feathers above eye, cheeks, ear-coverts, chin and throat white, bordered with narrow black line, which widens on forehead into a wide black band; fore-neck and chest white, slightly tinged in centre, and washed with brown on sides of chest, followed by second broad black cross-band; remainder of under-surface white washed faint creamy-buff; under tail coverts black; bill bluish-grey; legs and feet grey; eyes dark brown. Total length about 4 inches.

Adult Female: Similar in plumage to male, though black bands above and below white breast may be somewhat narrower in female. As there is a big overlap of "male" and "female" characters, sexing is very difficult and in many cases impossible.

Immature: Duller in coloration, the barrings indistinct throughout and upper parts tinged greyish-olive."

Habitat: Inhabits dry, open areas including grass plains, open woodland, forest edges, cane fields, inhabited and cultivated areas, and parks and gardens.

Behavior: Found in small flocks during the breeding season and in larger flocks when not breeding. Roosts communally in specially built nests. The call is a "tat, tat" or a "tiaat, tiaat." The song is a softer version of that of the zebra finch.

Breeding: Owl Finches usually lay 4 to 5 white eggs, and if you find more in the nest the chances are good that you have paired together two females. Incubation is 12 days, and both sexes take turns incubating the eggs during the day, and both roost together on the eggs at night. When newly hatched, Owl finches are a light flesh color, and they become darker each day until they are almost black in color about the forth day. When the babies finally emerge from the nest after about 22 days, they are dull little copies of their parents. After the babies have left the nest, I leave the babies in the cage or flight with the parents for three or four weeks before removing them.

Owl finch babies are very small when they first hatch but they do grow fast. You can usually band the babies at 7 or 8 days of age. When the parents are rearing the babies, make sure that every day they receive sprouted seed and egg food. I also make sure they receive "mini" meal worms and wax worms every day after the babies hatch. When the babies have fledged and I catch them up to remove, I will put on a plastic colored band on the unbanned foot so that I can positively identify the bird if I see it singing.

ENGLISH BUDGIES | FINCH PARTS | FINCH PERSONALITY CHART | GOULDIAN (LADY) FINCH | HARMFUL PLANTS

SHAFT TAIL FINCH | SPICE FINCH | STAR FINCH | STRAWBERRY FINCH | TERMINOLOGY

WEB LINKS | WHEATGRASS | ZEBRA FINCH | ZEBRA FINCH MUTATIONS

Please send comments and suggestions to webmaster@NewJerseyFinchQuest.com