FINCHES
HISTORY - Lady Gouldian Finches are originally from Australia. John Gould, an ornithologist of the mid-19th century, was the first to catalogue this species. Upon seeing these birds, he was so struck by their beauty that he named them after his wife, who had recently died. She had often accompanied him on his expeditions and painted watercolors of the different species they encountered.
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Dilute back chick just out of nest with his"glow-in-the-dark" nodules still in place on his beaks |
Yellow back female chick also just our ot nest |
APPEARANCE - Indeed, they are one of the more beautiful birds you will ever see. The subtlety and diversity of colors on this bird is really amazing. But as juveniles, they are a dull olive green. Only between 3-9 months of age do they acquire their adult colors. You can see this in the photos above and below. Even as chicks dilute back and yellow back show a slightly different color back. I've also posted some photos of young gouldians and then some of them as adults on my tame birds page. The difference is quite remarkable.
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Dilute back cock coloring up |
Yellow back hen coloring up |
Male's
stance of mating dance, female |
Male performing
the "jumping |
HUSBANDRY & HABITAT - They are reputed to be a difficult bird to raise. However, over the last 40 years Gouldian-lovers have learned what conditions the birds prefer. There are now quite healthy strains of captive-bred birds available. And it is now possible for more bird-keepers to raise them successfully. For more about that see the housing & diet page and the links page. This has become even more important today. The Lady Gouldian is presently endangered in Australia due to loss of its natural habitat and the spread of a respiratory infection, caused by an air sac mite. The Australian government is working to help the Gouldians recover from this threat.
MY BIRDS - You will find posted on my site photos only of my own birds. As my skills as a bird photographer improve, I'll post more. There are many sites with extensive information and beautiful photos of these birds. I've given links to just a few of my favorites on the links page. Have a look at the tame finches page to learn more about Gouldians. Explore and enjoy this remarkable bird!
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Alyssa, society hen, and Rosa, gouldian hen |
Josh, black-headed cock and Georgie, red-headed cock |
BREEDING- They can be tricky to breed. Especially first-time parents can toss babies. You can either foster them to societies or wait until the parents are more experienced. Given peace, privacy and quite, they will breed for you. Just be sure you give them a very good diet, as described on my Housing/Diet page under Diet.
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Lady Gouldian Finches
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