These birds are Native to Africa and prefer to  live in groups. Theyenjoy eating seeds, greens, insects, and soft commercial feed.

The sexes are alike in appearance, visually the  male's beak is somewhat thicker and the head is larger and broader but it is hard to see unless they are sitting still.The male resembles the hen outside the breeding season and is also identified by his long tail. The female is black and brownish with six dark stripes on the head. The male can be quite aggressive and in the wild will have 10-50 hens.

These birds are parasitic and require good tropical seed, many insects, and fresh bathing water daily. They thrive as couples or in colonies. Young birds don't have any scaly appearance. They are easy keepers. The male sings a song so softly we cannot hear it, but by the proud thrust of his head we can see he's engrossed in it.

These can be agressive with other species if kept in small confines but are usually ok if housed in larger areas.
Spice Finch