Buntings

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Buntings vary in size from 12 to 20cm(4.75-8in), depending on the species. Most are not suitable for being caged indoors, as this type of lifestyle causes them to become overweight. The rainbow and lazuli buntings, however, are not hardy and must therefore be housed indoors as soon as the cold weather approaches, but they must have sufficient room to exercise. An outside aviary for buntings should be as large as possible and situated in a warm sunny area. Some species can be kept outside all year round, providing they have easy access to a frost-proof shelter.

The standard diet for buntings is based on a seed mixture consisting of canary seed, millet oats, hemp and grass seeds, with additions of grated carrot, chopped chickweed and insects. When the breeding season arrives, it is essential to provide a lavish supply of insects, as they rear their young exclusively on them.
Most buntings are shy and retiring, so they make good mixers, although their considerable size may scare smaller species. Do not house the nonpareil, or painted bunting, with close relatives, however, as aggressive behaviour and fighting are likely to occur.

Unfortunately, buntings are not bred in large numbers in captivity, as their breeding success is rather poor. When they do breed, they build cup-shaped nests in dense bushes or, alternatively, they will use half open nestboxes to lay their clutch of 4-6 eggs. The incubation period lasts approximately 12 days and fledging occurs 14 days later.

The attractive rainbow bunting can be kept in a cage or aviary. These birds have a pleasant nature and are fairly easy to keep. It is best to house them inside in winter, but they do not require much heat.

Buntings are found in both the New and the Old World. The American buntings belong to the same subfamily as the cardinals and are found from the United States to Panama. The Eurasian buntings belong to the genus Emberiza and range across the region into Japan as well as southwards into Africa.

The extremely pretty golden-breasted bunting has a pleasant song and does well in a mixed collection. Keep it in an aviary, as it tends to get too fat in a care.

Finches

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Finches are lively and colourful birds that are universally popular because they are easy to care for and reach a small size, usually 10- 15cm(4-6in). Because of their manageable size, it is quite acceptable to keep a pair of finches in a small indoor cage measuring about 60cm(24in) long and 30cm(12in) wide and deep, made of plywood or other sheet material with a front panel of 1cm(0.4in) wire mesh.

They will also live happily outdoors, but, as with all small birds, they have a large surface area compared to their body weight and so are very susceptible to changes in temperatures. It is vital to acclimatize finches newly imported from warm climates into temperate regions before putting them straight into the aviary. The best method of doing this is to keep them in a heated birdroom at the back of the aviary and gradually reduce the heat each day until it is safe for them to go into the aviary during the day, but be sure to lock them in again at night during any cold weather.

Once acclimatized, you can keep finches outside until the autumn in most temperate climates. After that time, move them indoors and keep them at a temperature no lower than 10

Keeping Weavers Birds

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Because of their spectacular nest-building activities, weavers are among the most interesting small birds to keep in captivity. They are extremely spirited birds that will spend their lifetimes collecting materials to create their unique nests. Each species builds its own individual style of nest, and some can be absolutely incredible. Watching them build their nests, intricate as they are, can be a truly relaxing experience. Not surprisingly, it is vital to keep these birds well supplied with nest-building material; if you fail to do so, they will automatically destroy each others’ nests to fuel their own building activities. Although preferred nesting material varies slightly between species, most will avidly make use of long strands of semi-dried grass.

Although fairly small – about 12.5cm(5in) – weavers still require housing in a large, well-planted aviary; unlike other small seedeaters, they will only thrive in an outdoor environment and should not be housed indoors. Fortunately, weavers are hardy birds and so it is relatively easy to care for them during cold weather. You will need to lock them in at night once the winter approaches in temperate climates, but they are still among the toughest and also most active of all the finch-type birds.

Feeding weavers is very straightforward, for they will thrive on a basic finch seed mixture, plus a small amount of fruit and greenfood. It is also a good idea to offer baby mealworms or baby crickets as regular treats.

Weavers have a reputation for being rather aggressive, especially during the breeding season. In fact, some species are best housed on their own, one species to an aviary. If you mix unsuited species, the birds will destroy each others’ nests and this will obviously lead to fighting. Weavers are most compatible with birds of a similar size.

Breeding weavers can be difficult and unsuccessful, and so they are not bred in captivity on a very large scale. Often you will find that after building one nest, they will not breed but simply begin to build another nest, and so on. Therefore, it is very important to give weavers some privacy; if they are continually disturbed, they will not breed at all.