Blue-faced Parrot Finch

BLUE-FACED PARROT FINCH
ERYTHRURA TRICHROA

© G. Oppenborn
Male and female

This strongly built bird is, together with the red headed parrot finch, one of the best known and most bred parrot finches in our aviaries.

CLASSIFICATION
Because of the wide spread of this species across the far distant and scattered islands in the Pacific, covering the whole territory between Celebes (on the south of the Philippines) and Australia, a number of sub species have evolved over the years. However, there is such little difference between these sub species that in Europe they are referred to as just one finch.

We can say that these days ten different sub species are known.

The small differences between these sub species are related to one or more of the following characteristics: the intensity of the green colour (dark green or pale green), the size of the beak, yellow on the neck sides, blue, cobalt or pale blue on the head, a lot of blue on the green back and also the weight of the different species shows that the size is also important.

All these differences are for us bird lovers an important subject in the breeding of the bird because they are hereditary and hidden in the bird only to re-emerge at a later date. There is a problem in breeding blue-faced parrot finches; to comply with show standards, the interbreeding of the subspecies will result in a single bird which may ultimately be classified as Erythrura trichroa domestica.

NATIVE HABITAT
They live on the following isles; Vanuatu, Celebes, Moluccas, New Guinea, Bismarck archipeligo, Palau, Caroline, Salomon and the north-east of Australia, although this list is probably not complete.

When there is sufficient food supply they are found in large numbers.
Because of their very active behaviour and good camouflage, they aren’t seen very often. Their shyness means that they look very quickly for dense vegetation so it is easier to hear them in the wild than to see them.
Their diet mainly consists of grass seeds and weeds, but they also have a fondness for insects.

DESCRIPTION
At 12 cm the blue-faced parrot finch is one of the biggest parrot finches. Only the Papuan parrot finch which is very similiar, is bigger.

The difference between male and female is sometimes difficult to see, though generally the blue color on the female's head is duller and less extensive than the male's, but the 100% guarantee of the male is when it sings.

With some sub species in the wild and also as a result of interbreeding in aviculture, the differences between male and female become harder to see.

Generally the bird has to be stronly built. They are predominantly green with an almost yellow abdomen, a blue head with blue sides and a red lower rump and upper tail coverts. The eyes and feet are brown and the beak is black.

AVICULTURAL NOTES
Nowadays this bird is one of the easiest parrot finches to breed, although they do not tame easily and are shy. On the other hand they are very tolerant with other birds or members of the same species. An indoor flight or an aviary is the ideal for this always active bird. In a little cage they become fat very quickly and this can have serious consequences when they come to breed.

They will even breed in a colony system, however it is always better to put at least 3 pairs together and certainly always as many females as males. They should be fed a good quality seed diet and egg food and soaked or germinated seed daily. Don’t forget to provide bath water and spray millet and, from time to time a piece of apple. They will accept half open nest boxes and use grass and coco fibre as nesting material.

Clutches of 4-6 eggs are incubated for 12-13 days and at 21 days old the yellow-beaked babies will leave the nest.

Some sources mention that juveniles on the age of 3 months are already sexually mature.

It is also common for young females, even when not in full adult colour, to lay eggs of the cage floor. Of course this is far too early to let them breed.

In a big aviary the young birds can stay with their parents but in a cage they have to be removed when they are independent because the cock will chase the young males.

Parent rearing is not an exception, they are even capable of fostering other more difficult species.

If the birds are kept in good condition they will breed and raise young several times during the year and will only stop during the moult, although this isn't advised. Three or four nests per year is sufficient.

MUTATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS
Lutino

Lutino male © H.J de Vos & W. Keijzer

As far as is known the lutino is the only mutation of the blue-faced parrot finch.
In this red-eyed bird all the green is changed into yellow and the blue becomes white.

This gene is sex-linked which means that a normal blue-faced parrot finch cock split for lutino mated with a normal female will give lutino daughters.

Looking at the different possibilities the results are;

Split lutino x normal = split lutino and normal males & lutino and normal females

Split lutino x lutino = lutino and split lutino males & lutino and normal females

Lutino x lutino = lutino males & lutino females

Lutino x normal = split lutino males & lutino females

Normal x lutino = split lutino males & normal females

Breeding lutinos isn’t always easy; it some cases parents let the lutino babies die and only raise the normal birds. If you have this problem the solution is to put all the lutinos together in one nest.

Lutino female © H.J de Vos & W. Keijzer

Seagreen
There have also been a seagreen bird but because the genetics of this bird is not known, we have to consider them more as a modification rather than a true colour mutation.

Green pied
The genetics of this bird is also not known.
We have to consider them more as a modification rather than a true colour mutation.

Blue
Some sub species have a blue shine on the back and were considered in the past as blue birds. Unfortunatly, we do not see these birds today. It is not known yet if these birds have a split blue factor.

Yellow belly
We have to consider this bird as a modification.

ATTENTION
I would implore that:

Continental bird keepers stop trying to enlarge this bird by cross-breeding with the Papuan parrot finch.
This is not an acceptable method as it brings the purity of all the different species into danger.
Therefore a limitation on size should be included in the standard.
The judges should be aware of the sub species that carry less visual characteristics and mark accordingly, therefore maintaining the different diversity of the sub species.
The cross breeding of the sub species means that there is an impurity among our birds, so it will take some time to obtain the ideal bird. But that's just the challenge for a "real" bird lover.