Mixed Breed

For long-tailed finches, mixed breed is an avicultural label rather than a formal breed name. Poephila acuticauda is an Australian grassfinch with a black bib, grey-brown body, and elongated central tail feathers; domestic birds may be normal grey, fawn, pied, white-rumped, or combinations of those mutations. The wording usually means the bird's exact mutation line, subspecies influence, or parentage has not been kept separate, not that it represents a separate taxon.

In care, these finches are active, social seed-eaters that do best in a roomy cage or planted aviary with dry shelter, clean bathing water, and space to fly. Breeding pairs use enclosed nests and benefit from sprouted seed, greens, and egg food during chick rearing. Anyone buying for exhibition or planned breeding should ask how the color was produced, since mixed lines may not breed predictably and are poor candidates for maintaining pure mutation or subspecies lines.

Colors: Fawn, Normal Grey, Pied, White-Rumped