There are three closely related and elegant finches that do not have any common group name and so I have called them Poephila finches. They are Australian, belong to the same genus and occupy similar habitats in the north of the continent. We have examples of all three though we do not keep them all together.

As can be seen from the picture above, these Australian species are happy to co-exist. However, the website Finch Information Center does not recommend that the Heck's be kept with the Parson's and the Masked so we have these in the second aviary. We have not encountered any community problems with any of these finches; perhaps because of the size of space and the variety and maturity of the planting.

I have never seen them eat anything but mixed seed. However, they are often on the ground and so may be suplimenting this diet with live food. I haven't seen them in the mealworm bowl, though. Ours Parsons and Masked haven't yet bred although both pairs function very much as couples. We're hoping that this is simply immaturity and that next season they will prepare nests and procreate. However, the Heck's built a nest in a gourd hanging from the roof. This has previously been ignored by the whole colony and we are wondering if they chose it because of its suitability or its availability. In mid-October we were pleased to find a pair of chicks had hatched out. Unfortunately, these did not survive the winter - perhaps because they too late hatching - but we are hopeful that in the spring they may begin again.