This particular species possesses a yellow bright colored body with an orange-colored crown. Its wings and back have a black etching on its feathers. It has dark eyes, pale-grayish pink legs, grey-black upper beak while its lower beak is ivory-colored.
Mature females are considered as a dull version of the young male hens and are usually olive-brown in color with dark heavy streaks.
Size:
Such a species has a size range of 5.5 inches to as much as six inches or approximately 14 to 16 cm long (including its tail).
Origin:
Originally seen in South America, the Saffron Finch lives in Venezuela, Northern Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and central Argentina as well as north east of Brazil.
Diet:
The usual diet of a Saffron Finch is a combination of canary seeds grass, millets, green food and wild seeds. Such birds usually prefer Oat Groats. They also need a lot more livefood and green food specially during breeding. Small mealworms, ant eggs, larva fruit fly and waxworms could be combined with soft food occasionally. They also need cuttlebone, fresh water as well as grit all the time. Spinach, lettuce, spray millet, Chickweed, tops of Broccoli, Eggfood as well as Carrot Tops could be provided regularly. Sprouting seed is the most simple way you could provide feed to your birds. Do not forget that a good food for weaning is fresh greens.
General Care:
Such birds are hardy but make sure fresh water is provided each day as they prefer to take a regular bath.
Compatibility:
Such a species is suited for birds placed in a mixed aviary as long as they are all the same temperament and size. If they are put with passive small waxbills, you have to watch them all closely. Plus, ensure that the Saffrons are not at all aggressive. If they are all in a big-sized walk-in aviary, there would surely be less aggressiveness relative to when they are placed in a small cage finish. Aggressiveness is usually exhibited during the season of breeding.
Housing:
Saffron Finches very much thrive in a room that is spacious enough for them to sing and fly. They also demand an aviary that is heated in a temperature of 60 to 65 degrees specially during the months of Winter. They could also be housed in cages which are the size of a double breeder. However, they have the tendency to get bored easily thus damaging their tail feathers with it flying from the sides of the cage bars and transferring to other small-sized cages.
Song:
The male bird offers a decent albeit repetitious song. Also, such a species could be shy if it sings in front of a number of people specially when placed in a small size cage.
Breeding:
Such birds are seen to breed in an aviary that is filled with plants compared to breeding cages.
They also want a nestbox that is Parakeet-sized and placed in a sheltered and heightened spot such as at the cage’s corner. Artificial covering plant surrounding the nestbox will offer them with the needed privacy they require. Nesting material could be made from dried grasses, moss or feathers. Take note that though they could be considered as cavity nesters, they do not produce good nests. They also produce an average of 3 to 5 clutch eggs which then hatch after fourteen days.