Birds of a Feather
With the common phrase we naturally view birds sticking to their own. And in most cases this is correct. But there are types of birds which will help other birds out when it comes to caring for the young.
Our most common helpful hands in our aviaries tends to be society finch. These birds originated in Asia. They don’t get there name for nothing. You can often find them grouped together. You would be surprised with just how many of these finches can fit in our nests. Sometimes you don’t know how many there are until you step in to catch them. They have a unique song, not a beautiful as the canary, but they do throw in some moves to swoon the heart of the female they have an eye on. These birds also vary in color and style. Some have an almost Alfalfa looking hair-do, while others have a smooth top. We have seen a range in color from completely white to some with multiple browns and blacks covering the bird.
When you put in two opposite mates, it is always a treat to see what the babies will look like.
How cute is this society next to a baby dove!
Now the real neat thing about them. They are great parents. I have seen the dad sit, on eggs as well as the mom. They have a caring heart because they do not limit themselves to their own babies. It is quite frequent to find a society sitting on eggs for other birds.
When in a community with a newer aviary the owner was asking how to tell the difference between the Lady Gouldian babies and Society babies. Surprised by the question I told him that they were all Lady Gouldian babies. The confused owner responded that the Lady Gouldian parents had been in one nest sitting and the Societies had been sitting in the other, the babies had come out of separate nests. Not the first time that has happened, I was able to explain that is not an unseen sight for Societies to chip in and help sit on eggs.
And last story to top off their unique habit of not just sticking to their own. In a different aviary the Canaries had little babies. I was told by an the caretaker of the birds that not only had the finches help sit on the eggs, but after they were hatched they would also help feed the little baby canaries. Guess it does take a community to raise a child. And even more of an experience for us when we get to catch the unique characteristics of nature at work.
