| "A Bengelese Tale" A couple of years ago, I received a very special gift of a red eyed cream colored Society finch. The little hen was a Creamino mutation. She became the foundation of the best foster parenting line of Bengelese I have ever had. Creamino was matched up with a sharp looking chocolate male and the pair put to work feeding two tossed Gouldian chicks. The Goulds thrived and I was very pleased. Creamino laid six eggs of her own, which I fostered under another Society pair, and she was given two more Goulds and a Star finch. Again a repeat performance. Over the months she raised orphaned Owls, Hecks and Masked Grass finch, Cordon Blue and Fire finch, and even a couple of Cut Throat finch. A baby Cut Throat is a very aggressive begger and most Societies would be intimidated by the gigantic mouth of this species, but not Creamino. She was undaunted by the task and packed them full. Occasionally she would have a mixed clutch, a Gould, a Cordon Bleu and a Hecks baby, each with different begging behaviours and different size, but she would take it all in her stride, and no baby ever went hungry under her care. This year Creamino developed a growth on her head just above the eye. She rested for about a month and although the growth did not recede, she was acting like her old self again and laid another clutch of eggs. I had a flight full of juvenile Gouldians that were laying fertile eggs in their seed cups. The 'juvey' eggs were distributed among the four pairs of Societies that I retain for fostering purposes. Three of these pairs were now the offspring of Creamino and every bit as good feeders as their Mom. Creamino raised a nest of five strapping Gouldians. Her last big job was a clutch of eggs from the Masked Grassfinch, two babies hatched and Momma Creamino faithfully fed until they fledged. Unfortunately Creamino's days were numbered. Just before the young Grassfinch were independent, Momma Creamino died. I found her in the nest just as she had lived, in the midst of her foster chicks. She now has a special place in the flower garden. So…who is the unsung hero of the finch world? ……….definitely the Bengalese! How much is a Bengelese worth? I say "every dollar you have to pay and so much more"!!!! MY FOSTERING METHOD: I choose a pair of young Bengalese, male and female, and place them in an 18" by 18" by 24"cage with a large covered wicker basket and nesting material (sisal, jute, coco fibre). In addition to their basic finch seed, they are given the same breeding diet as all my finches, egg food, shredded carrots and greens and soaked seed. I usually run the birds with their own chicks for the first round to make sure that they are good feeders. If they feed well, then they are ready to be given whatever chicks may be neglected, or sometimes a second round of eggs from another species that laid before the first clutch was weaned. I always make sure there are at least two chicks given as one chick generally has a poor chance of survival. Also a piece of egg shell is placed in the nest with the new chicks, as the Bengelese always eat the eggshell of each newly hatched chick. Often there are no chicks to be fostered as most of my finches raise their own young very well, so to avoid being over populated with Bengelese chicks, I pull their fresh eggs and give them their old eggs that are no longer fertile, and in this way they incubate through their cycle, ready to foster if necessary. NOTES: The Bengelese is a domesticated form of the Acuticauda group of the white Backed Munia, perhaps originating from L. striata swinhoei. They are moderately robust in stature and measure about 4 ½" long. They occur in three basic colors, chocolate, fawn, and white, most being of pied coloration. They are tame and hardy in captivity with very strong parental behaviour. They will build a nest in almost any type of nesting box or basket, spending time in the nest during the day and sleeping in it at night. The dance of the male is a series of punctuated hops, bows and swivels accompanied by a continuous chortling song. This display is the most reliable indicator of sex. Mutual preening and clumping are the rule. They are shorter lived than most finch species, living about 4 years. They make excellent foster parents to many small finch species, although as with all creatures there are some exceptions to this rule. REFERENCES: Goodwin, D. 1982. Estrildid Finches of the World. Printed by BAS Printers Limited. Over Wallop, Hampshire Article may be reprinted with permission. Please email: Jean Tarr |