Animal-World > Birds > Types of Finches > Society Finch

Society Finch

Bengalese Finch - Japanese Movchen

Family: EstrildidaeFawn-Pied Society FinchLonchura domesticaPhoto © Roy Beckham eFinch.com

   The word "society" suits these little birds to a tee, as they are very social and like to get into everybody's business! Society Finches make great pets for the beginner. They are one of the easiest birds to care for, very hardy, inexpensive, and are prolific breeders.

   Society Finches are one of the most charming and interesting of all the small Mannikins! They are believed to have been developed in Asia over three hundred years ago by Chinese and Japanese breeders. It is assumed they are a domestic form of the White-backed Munia (Lonchura striata) though their absolute ancestry is uncertain.

For more information about the care of Finches see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Finch

Geographic Distribution Lonchura domestica Data provided by GBIF.org Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Actiniform Class: Elasmobranchii Order: Passeriformes Family: Estrildidae

Scientific name: Lonchura domestica Learn more about the Society "Family", the Estrildidae Finches here: Finch Families

Description:   Society Finches reach a size of 4 1/4" to 4 3/4" (11-12 cm). They have three basic color varieties: chocolate and white, fawn and white, and pure white. Tri-coloreds, crested forms (developed in the 1930's), and solid colors are also seen. No two Society Finches are alike!

Distribution:    Society Finches are totally domestic and large numbers are bred in captivity.

Care and Feeding:    Fresh food and water must be provided daily. A good finch seed mix will provide their everyday preference for millets and canary seed and is readily available at a pet store. In a separate cup supply green foods regularly, such as chickweed and spinach. Other supplements include egg foods, apple and pear. Finch treats of seed with honey, fruits and vegetables are fun for your bird too, as well as nutritious!
   Grit with charcoal is essential to aid in digestion and it contains valuable minerals and trace elements. Grit should be provided in a special cup or sprinkled over the bottom of the cage floor. Provide a cuttlebone because the calcium it provides will give your bird a firm beak, strong eggshells when breeding, and will prevent egg binding. The lime in the cuttlebone also aids in digestion.
   Offer your finch a bath occasionally by providing a bath dish that is 1" deep with a 1/2" of water, or a clip on bath house.
   Their nails may occasionally need to be trimmed, but be careful never to clip into the vein as the bird can quickly bleed to death. Bird nail trimmers and styptic powder to stop the bleeding are available at pet shops.

Housing:    Society Finches do well indoors in a cage. Place the cage where it is well ventilated though free from drafts, and against a wall at eye level. It should have good light but be away from doors and windows where direct exposure to sunlight can make it overly warm.
   Provide two or three good softwood perches about 3/8" to 3/4" in diameter. Tree branches of a similar size also make good perches and will help to wear the claws down naturally. Provide separate dishes for food, water, treats, and grit. Place paper on the cage bottom that can be sprinkled with grit, or use a grit paper.
   Society Finches also do very well an in aviaries or bird rooms. The screening should be 3/8" square mesh. Dishes for food, water, grit and bathing water must be included along with perches and nests. Plants that are not poisonous, such as fruit trees, privet, forsythia, and honeysuckle bushes will make the space more enjoyable for the finches.

Maintenance:    Although finches require very little time, a clean environment as well as fresh food and water daily is a must to prevent disease and illness. The basic cage care includes daily cleaning of the water and food dishes. Every two to three days change the paper on the bottom of the cage and sprinkle it with about 1/8" of fresh grit. Weekly wash and dry the entire cage, including the perches.

Social Behaviors:    Society Finches are very, very social and should be kept in groups (except when breeding a single pair). They are most friendly, have an ideal temperament, and are never aggressive toward other birds.

Handling/Training:    Finches are simply enjoyed for their antics and play rather than training. When you need to handle your finch to examine it or clip it's nails, place your palm on it's back and wrap your fingers around the bird with your thumb and forefinger on either side of it's head.

Activities:   Society Finches are active and very friendly. They are so social and such busy bodies that they can often get in the way of, and disrupt the breeding habits of other more private birds! Keep an eye on your energetic friends in an aviary!

Breeding/Reproduction:    Society Finches are one of the most reliable breeders! They can be bred as individual pairs housed separately or as groups in aviaries. When breeding in groups, you must make sure you have more than three pairs to prevent a pecking order. One drawback to aviary breeding is over eagerness. They will often all crowd into one nest to lay and incubate their eggs. They get in each others way and make it impossible for any one hen to incubate the eggs. They are such dedicated breeders, they will even incubate and rear the young of many other birds.
 &nbsp The sexes are very similar, but the male will display mating behavior by singing a little song to the female. Females are generally quiet unless visually separated from their mate. In this case, the male will call to the female with a single syllable, while the hen's answer will be three or four syllables.
   They like a closed or partially open nest. The size of a nest box should be about 5" or 6" (13 -16 cm). Nesting materials such as grasses and hay will be appreciated, and they will line the nest with feathers and soft materials.
   The female will lay a clutch of 4 to 6 eggs. The female will do most of the sitting on the eggs and they will hatch in 12 to 13 days. Both parents will feed the hatchlings. At this time provide lots of greens, seed and egg food.

Potential Problems:    Society Finches are very hardy birds and almost all illnesses can be traced to improper diet, dirty cages, and drafts. A balanced diet and plenty of exercise will prevent most illnesses. The white coloration of Society Finches can often be albino, with pink eyes, and prone to eye problems. Eye problems of this sort can be prevented by supplying lots of green foods high in carotene. Know your birds and watch for real drastic changes as indications of illness.
   Some signs of illness to be aware of are droppings that are not black and white, feathers that are ruffled, lack of appetite, wheezing, and acting feeble and run down.
   Some of the common illnesses and injuries your finch could contract are broken wings or legs, cuts and open wounds, overgrown beaks and nails, ingrown feathers, feather picking, confinement cramps in the legs from a cage that is too small, weight loss, heat stroke, shock, concussion, egg binding, diarrhea, mites, colds, baldness, scaly legs, sore eyes, tumors, constipation, and diarrhea.
   First you can try and isolate the bird in a hospital cage where you cover all but the front of the cage and add a light bulb or heating pad to keep the interior of the cage at a constant temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove all perches and put food and water dishes on the floor. If you don't see improvements within a few hours, take the bird to an avian veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment.

Availability:    Society Finches are readily available in the pet industry in the three basic colorations. With a little more determination, you should be able to find the tri-colors, crested and solid colors as well. Because they are bred so easily in captivity, they are very inexpensive little birds.

Author: Clarice Brough, CAS

Lastest Comments on Society Finch View all 35 comments on Society Finch Add Your Comment

sudha - 2011-10-21 I am from India. I have had these birds for more than two years and they looked like finches when they where young. They where colourful now they have white feather underside but darkbrown feathers all over. They are shaped and sized exactly like finches. One sings the other doesn't. They do not breed. I dont know what to do. I am trying to identify help Click For Replies (2) Charlie Roche - 2011-10-21 Many many birds/parrots may have various colors on the body but will have a white down undercoat. The finch is no exception. So your finch could have a white down soft fluffy feather coat underneath its colored feathers. That is normal. They molt this coat during the year, based on weather so at times it is much more visible. Normally the male sings and the female does not. You can read more about this in Breeding and Reproduction in the above article. Normally, finches are prolific breeders and are good moms and dads. However, without a flock, it can sometimes take birds a little while before they catch on to what it is they are to do in order to reproduce. You can enjoy them and give them time to learn. You can purchase another pair and possibly they will learn from each other. You could possibly buy a proven pair and your original pair will learn from the proven pair. Much of the time it just takes a pair without a flock some time to learn. amit Ghosh - 2011-12-24 Please watch whether both calls or only one call. May be both the birds are female. If posible buy one more pair of birds and keep together,which may solve your problem.- amit 9831281230 Reply

Debbie - 2011-12-13 My Husband recently bought me 2 parakeets and we went back to the pet store to buy 2 more in different color. Well low and behold we ended up buying 2 social finches (cute little things). So now that we've had them for a month they are now going to have babies (how fun). Of course I have the parakeets and finches in different cages. My question is what kind of greens do you feed them? Click For Replies (1) Charlie Roche - 2011-12-14 The only kind of greens my human can get us to eat is string beans and vrocoli and we really don't like those much unless she puts them in scrabled eggs. Good luck though. Hope you have better luck with yours. Reply

kyler strenke - 2010-08-05 How can you tell the male and female society finches apart? Click For Replies (3) Theresa - 2011-02-15 Male societies sing, females don't. That's the only way you can really tell by looking at them. It's hard, but I suggest sitting there and staring until you've identified which ones sing and which ones don't. Moises Solano - 2011-06-29 thank you Matt - 2011-12-12 The easiest way is to isolate any bird from the lot for an hour or so, then reintroduce. at this time all male birds in the cage should display (sing). Reply

Tony Edwards - 2011-09-16 i have been breeding the true albino form of the Society Finch (Bengalese) in the UK for nearly twenty years and NEVER had a problem with blindness. As former general secretary of the National Bengalese Fanciers Association and now Vice-Chairman , none of our members has ever indicated a problem to me. Tri-colours - I have not known a true breeding strain to be established - occasional birds do not appear to pass on the colouration to any descendants Click For Replies (2) kirk nicholson - 2011-10-03 How do you go about getting a pair of society finch (bengalese) for my cage? thank you debbie - 2011-11-11 Hello tony, Please can you help me? I have 2 albino hens (not blind) in desperate need of men lol do a pair of albino breed albino or do I need to use a different color male? And do you have any for sale? I have approx 30 bengies (as well as other birds) all different colors but just recently got 2 albino hens. Thanks, debbie Reply

mandy - 2011-10-12 Our bengalese lay one tiny egg a few weeks ago and today we can't see the egg. Can anyone please explain what has happened? Reply

Shannon - 2011-03-16 I have 5 finches 2 are zebra finches 1 male and 1 female, and 3 society finches that I'm still trying to figure the genders of after 7 months. So far one or two not sure if it's two since they look similar only one is more heavier in weight while the other two are slim. The one that doesn't sing at all is one that I got from the store with a leg that broke while at the petshop and healed awkwardly positioned in a backwards L like shape. It maneuvers around the cage well and none of the other birds bother it in any way. Yet my society finches and zebra finches seem to like to stare at me when I'm in the same room, they even follow me from one end of the room to the other and I'm not sure why. My society finches do this more and have more of a tawny brown or chestnut brown color to them. My own hair is chestnut brown in color. Is it possible they are just staring at me because of my hair color or is there another reason? Click For Replies (1) Mariah - 2011-08-20 Could be that they have something in common with you - hair color! Also they must've adjusted well to their surroundings and know that you feed them so they love following you! Be sure that it is not food that they are looking for, though. Reply

Add your comment!

View all 35 comments on Society Finch

Back to Types of Finches