Strawberry Finch, A Little Bird with Distinctive Sound

In recent years, bird lovers in Indonesia have become interested in finches. Of the dozens of bird species of finches in the world, there is one popular finch type in Indonesia, namely the Strawberry Finch.

Many bird lovers like this bird because it has its own charm. What are the attractions that make this bird more and more popular in Indonesia?

This article will review in depth about the Strawberry Finch, what are its characteristics, how to care for it, and what to pay attention to when keeping this bird.

What is Strawberry Finch?

The red avadavat (Amandava amandava) or better known as the Strawberry Finch is a species of bird in the family Estrildidae, of the genus Amandava.

These birds eat rice, grass seeds and have habitats in shrubs, grasslands, agricultural land, rice fields, and reed groves. They are spread to an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level.

In Indonesia, Strawberry Finch has its own fans. Bird lovers in Indonesia love this bird because of the beauty of its colorful feathers.

The bird has dark red plumage with white spots, making it look like a strawberry. No wonder many bird lovers keep this bird as an ornamental bird.

This finch not only has a beautiful and charming color but also has a melodious chirping. It is easy to care for as well.

Nowadays, many Strawberry Finch lovers not only make it as a chirping bird but also keep it as a broodstock. They then mate several types to get saplings with attractive unique colors.

Type of Strawberry Finch

Understanding the type, characteristics, and features of the strawberry finch is very important before you raise this bird. Here are some important things you need to know about this type of finch.

Habitat and Habits

This beautiful little bird comes from Asian countries, such as Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. In Indonesia, this bird is still rare.

Strawberry finches are difficult to tame. Life in the wild becomes a distinctive character that is difficult to change.

Favorite Food

In their natural habitat, the strawberry finches like to eat seeds, just like other sparrows. In addition to grains, this bird also likes to eat rice grains. No wonder this bird became the “enemy” of farmers.

However, as a pet bird, you can replace it with food such as “kroto” (ant eggs) or fruit to meet the bird’s nutritional intake.

The Different Between Male and Female

How to tell the difference between male and female birds?

There are two ways to distinguish male and female strawberry finches, namely differences in general and when entering the breeding season.

Strawberry finches are dimorphic birds, so you can easily tell the common difference between male and female birds by their appearance and plumage color.

Male Strawberry Finch	Female Strawberry Finch
Most of the upper fur is brown. There is still some red but not dominant.	The underside is dark yellow gray
The wing feathers are brown with more white spots than the female.	The top and wings are brown
The fur under the belly and above the tail is dark red.	Pygostyle is red
Be more active with a louder voice	There are a few white spots on the wings
	His eyes are brown
	The beak is red
	Legs flesh red

When they are teenagers, male and female strawberry finches are more difficult to distinguish since they have similar colors.

However, when they are adults, you will find it easier to tell the difference because males and females are not physically the same.

In addition to the general differences, you can recognize these finches when entering the breeding season. The appearance of male strawberry finches during and outside the breeding season looks very different.

During the breeding season, male birds will produce red feathers with white spots. The head is dark brown or reddish, and the tail is black.

Strawberry Finch Sound

This bird has a sound combination of sounds similar to Zosterops, sparrows, and canaries. This is the more and more special point of this bird. This bird has charm in its cool voice.

Care Tips for Strawberry Finch

To get a cool appearance and sound, you should not carelessly take care of this bird. You must be diligent in feeding nutritious food, bathing, and cleaning the cage. Here’s the full review.

Choosing Cage

In choosing this birdcage, choose a cage made of wood with a small square diameter. Strawberry finch cages are similar to cages for babbling birds such as Zosterops or hummingbirds.

The small cage was chosen because the strawberry finch has a small body. This cage makes it easier for you in daily maintenance. Your bird will also be tamer and less passionate.

Prepare 2 perches with a crossed pattern that makes it easy for birds to move and be active, moving up and down from one perch to another.

Bathing and Sunbathing

You do not need to bathe this bird every day. You just need to bathe it every 2 to 3 days by spraying it gently with a spray, until it gets the whole body wet.

By bathing regularly, the hair looks fresh and clean and is protected from parasites and fleas.

After you bathe do not immediately dry it. Wait until the strawberry finch’s feathers look dry. Sunbathing time is about 1-2 hours from 8-10 AM.

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Cage Cleaning

Strawberry finch poops very little every day. However, you also need to clean it every day to keep it healthy. A cage that is always clean will prevent birds from respiratory diseases.

Feeding

You can provide daily food such as canary seeds or white millet – the same as food for canary or love birds. Basically, this finch’s natural habitat is a grain-eating bird.

In addition to seeds, strawberry birds also like vegetables such as radishes, spinach, celery, mustard greens, and so on.

You can also give germinated seeds, which are millet seeds that are previously sprayed with water and then stored overnight.

Change feed every 2 days using new millet or canary seeds, so that it is always fresh and good for health.

Mastering

Mastering is a way to teach a bird to be able to imitate the sound of other birds or other sounds.

The purpose of mastering is so that the mastered bird has many variations of song content/material so that the chirping sound is not monotonous.

Breeding should be done at night when the strawberry finches are resting. When mastering, leave the cage condition without a cloth cover.

For mastering, use mp3 with the sound of a canary in a long roll tone. Remember the volume is not loud, just quiet and small.

Perform the stages of maintenance consistently and regularly. See the results over the next 1 to 2 months. Your cool strawberry bird will be louder throughout the day with a more melodious voice.

Interesting Facts

There are interesting facts about the strawberry finch that you need to know. The facts are as follows:

Strawberry finches live in South and Southeast Asia, from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, even Puerto Rico and Hawaii.
When not in the breeding season, these birds are often together in large flocks – up to 100 birds in number. The goal is to protect each other and create a bond between them.
This bird has a distinctive squeaking sound. Usually, female birds have shorter, softer, and less vocal vocals than males. However, males and females will make the same vocalizations during the breeding season.
When being aggressive or when in danger, this bird will make a shrill call to notify fellow members.
When young, strawberry finches eat larvae, ant pupae, centipedes, and caterpillars. When they grow up, their food will turn into grains from millet plants, including rice.
The male’s bright red fur has a function, namely to attract the attention of the finch female during the breeding season. The impressive dance will make the male bird chosen as a partner.

Where to Get Strawberry Finches?

In Indonesia, the popularity of the strawberry finch is expanding along with the increasing number of bird lovers who maintain and cultivate the bird.

Male strawberry finch — J.M.Garg, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

You can easily get the bird if you want to keep it as a broodstock (for breeding) or to enjoy its distinctive sound.

Strawberry finches are not only available in bird markets but are also sold in online stores.

There are many choices, ranging from types for livestock, to chirps, etc.

How to buy a pair or unit. Usually, the seller will give you a low price if you buy a pair.

This bird is sold freely in the market and legally traded. You don’t need a certificate to get it.

However, if you buy directly from the breeder or at the market, you must make sure the bird is in a healthy condition. You can check it from the beak, feathers, and eyes.

For the Conclusion

Last but not least, So if you have a question about whether Strawberry Finch is suitable for care? The answer is of course very good.

It is evident that many people are currently cultivating it both as brooders, decorations, and chirping birds.

Don’t worry about the legality of finch birds with native habitats in Gujarat, India. This bird is also legally kept and traded as a pet bird.

For bird lovers, the melodious sound of birds is a medicine that can treat stress due to workloads, etc.

Growing Strawberry Finch is also a business opportunity if you take care of them as brooders that produce offspring to sell. Are you interested in keeping it? First, understand this article well.