Gouldian Finch

The Gouldian finch is social and cautious. According to the Australian Museum, in the wild it breeds in small social colonies, several pairs may share one tree hollow, and it comes to drink several times a day. At home that means a bird living in a calm group that is bothered by sudden movement and noise.

Merck describes finches as quiet but frequently chirping birds that are usually kept in groups and are not much interested in people. The Gouldian finch fits that description: not a companion to carry on your hand but a flock bird to watch in an aviary. The chapter on passerines in Dorrestein's avian medicine handbook says aggression rises with overcrowding and when new birds are added to an established group, and that a bird that drops to the bottom of the pecking order can suffer feather loss and greater disease risk from stress.

It suits people who enjoy watching a colorful, quiet bird, who set up the cage carefully, have access to a bird vet and can be meticulous about stress, air quality and diet.

According to the Australian Museum, the Gouldian finch is native to northern Australia, with a patchy range from Derby in Western Australia to the Gulf of Carpentaria and thinly across central Cape York. It lives at the edges of mangroves and thickets near water and in savannas with scattered trees. It is partly migratory: flocks move toward the coast outside the breeding season and return inland when the rains arrive.

The species is listed as Endangered at the Australian federal level. The museum lists illegal trapping for the bird trade, habitat change, fire, predators and a respiratory mite that also occurs in the wild among the causes of its decline. So only get a bird from documented captive breeding and don't support wild-caught birds.

The Gouldian finch is known for its green back, yellow belly and purple breast; the male is brighter than the female. Young birds are gray-headed, olive on the back and duller. The Australian Museum says black-headed birds make up about 75% of the population, red-headed birds about 25%, and yellow-headed birds are rare.

• No handling: Merck says finches don't interact much with people; don't pick the bird up unnecessarily.
• Observation: Sick birds hide it (Merck). Quietly check droppings, feathers and eating every day; learn what normal looks like.
• Calm setting: Avoid noise, sudden movement and frequent moves. See the cage placement guide.
• Cleaning: Dorrestein's chapter says control of external and internal parasites needs constant attention in aviaries. See cage cleaning.
• Warmth and humidity: The same chapter describes keeping tropical and arid-zone finches indoors in temperature-controlled rooms; keep the bird away from cold and sudden changes.
• Breeding: Breeding and chick-rearing are a specialty of their own; if you're thinking about it, talk to an experienced breeder and a bird vet first.

RSPCA Australia says a cage should be at least three times the combined wingspan of a pair wide, leave room for two wing beats between perches, and be long rather than tall. The Gouldian finch falls into the 20 to 80 g small-bird group, for which RSPCA lists 12 × 12 mm mesh and 0.7 to 0.8 mm wire for outdoor aviaries. Finches exercise by flying, so keeping them permanently in a small cage is not enough; an aviary or a very large cage is ideal.

• Perches: Natural branches of different thicknesses; metal pipe and sandpaper-covered perches aren't recommended (RSPCA).
• Nesting material: Dorrestein says synthetic fibers can tangle around toes; natural materials such as hessian, cotton, wool or coconut fiber are safe.
• Quiet corner: Away from traffic, the kitchen and sprays, with no drafts.
• Number of birds: Overcrowding and adding birds to an established group increase aggression (Dorrestein). Start with a small, compatible group and introduce new birds all together.

The Australian Museum says that in the wild they eat ripe or half-ripe grass seeds for most of the year and almost entirely insects during breeding (protein for the chicks). Dorrestein says an unbalanced diet is the main cause of many problems in tropical finches and that correcting the diet is the first step. Merck says a diet heavy in seeds and nuts is high in fat and low in vitamins and minerals. Work out the full diet plan with a bird-savvy veterinarian. Don't offer moldy seed.

Keep water clean every day and keep dishes free of droppings; Birdhealth's veterinarian author notes that crowding and shared drinking water can help spread mites. See foods that are harmful to birds.

Merck says birds hide illness. What follows is for information; talk to a veterinarian who sees birds for diagnosis and treatment.

• Airway mite: The mite Sternostoma tracheacolum lives in the airways. The Australian Museum lists it among factors in the species' decline. Veterinarian Dr. Rob Marshall's Birdhealth page describes signs such as open-beak breathing and clicking sounds and says the risk rises during stressful periods like the molt and the breeding season. Female mites move up the windpipe and spread to other birds; crowding and shared water dishes help it spread.
• Social stress: Dorrestein says social stress may be linked to a disease called amyloidosis in Gouldian finches, and that the species may carry a hereditary predisposition.
• Viral diseases: The same chapter says Gouldian finches are very sensitive to herpesvirus, which can come in with newly imported wild-caught birds, and describes a circovirus outbreak in an aviary of about 100 Gouldian finches with roughly 50% mortality. Have a new bird checked by a vet before adding it to others.
• Fume and gas poisoning: Overheated nonstick coatings and some sprays can kill small birds very quickly (Merck).
• General hygiene and zoonoses: Merck says the chlamydia bacterium can pass from birds to people, and Dorrestein lists chlamydia, salmonella and Campylobacter as occurring in finches. Wash your hands after handling the cage, keep the cage and dishes clean, and if you get flu-like symptoms tell your doctor you keep birds.

Merck gives 5 to 10 years for finches. We could not find a sourced home lifespan figure specific to the Gouldian finch, so read this as a general finch range. Stress, illness and diet are the factors that affect lifespan directly.

• Shelters and rescues: Bird rescue groups exist.
• Never wild-caught: The Australian Museum lists illegal trapping for the bird trade among the causes of decline. Ask for the documented breeding source and confirm the bird has been captive-bred from the start.
• Judge the seller: RSPCA Australia recommends sellers who are honest, knowledgeable, tell you the bird's history and diet and offer a refund or replacement for health problems; it advises staying away from crowded, dirty places and those feeding only dry seed.
• Vet check: Have a bird vet see it right after you bring it home, and keep it apart from other birds first.
• Access to avian vets: Because this is a delicate species, find the nearest bird vet ahead of time.