Guest Author - Mavis Metcalf
Owl Finch is one of the common names for the Peophila Taeniopygia Bochenovii. They are also commonly called a Bicheno Finch or a Double Barred Finch. Whatever you call them, they are a very pretty little bird that originates from Australia.
These finches do well with a normal finch seed mix, along with some greens and sprouted seed. Egg food is a wonderful treat, especially if you wish to breed them and they must have a supply of calcium using cuttlebone or crushed baked eggshells.
Owl Finches can be kept in an community aviary mixed with similar sized finches and or some of the more docile parakeets – but not budgies. Budgies are great birds, but they can be too aggressive to be kept with finches.
The male Owls can get aggressive during breeding time, but they can still be bred in a mixed aviary as long as there are enough other birds to divide the aggression. Make sure there are no extra Owl Finch males, although extra females are ok.
Visually sexing these birds is very difficult. The best way is just to wait and listen for the male's soft song that is often combined with a little dance.
To see what these birds look like, you can follow this link to Owl Finch Jigsaw Puzzle or this link to Owl Finch Postcard.
