Society Finch

Lonchura striata

The society finch, also called the Bengalese finch, is a domesticated avicultural bird derived mainly from the white-rumped munia, Lonchura striata. It was shaped in East Asian bird keeping rather than taken from a naturally occurring wild society finch population. These small estrildid finches have stout seed-cracking bills and occur in many captive color and feather varieties, including chocolate, fawn, pied, white and crested lines. Their calm colony behavior and steady nesting made them widely used as foster parents for more delicate finch species.

Society finches are kept in indoor cages and planted aviaries, usually in pairs or small groups with enough space to avoid crowding. A finch seed mix is the base diet, supplemented with greens, sprouted seed, egg food during breeding and calcium sources. They nest readily in baskets or boxes, so keepers often remove nests to prevent nonstop breeding and exhausted hens. Clean dry housing, quarantine for new birds and protection from drafts are more important than heavy handling, since these finches are best enjoyed as active social birds rather than hand pets.