Common Name |
Diamond Sparrow |
Latin Name |
Stagonopleura Guttata |
Average Lifespan |
12 Years |
Average Length |
4 - 5 Inches |
Average Weight |
17 Grams |
Song Type |
Low, Raspy |
Noise Level & Vocalization
The males song consists of very low, raspy calls.
Physical Features
Silvery grey head with black lores, white chin and throat, red eye rings, and maroon beak. The back and wings are deep grey-brown, the rump crimson, the tail black. The chest has a black band across it, the flanking is black with white dots, the belly is white, and the legs are dark grey. The juvenile has an olive-gray head, black beak, brown flanks, and white underparts.
Aviary Compatibility
Diet
Mixed millets and canary seed should be supplemented with greenfood and the heads of seeding grasses. It's important to take special care with the protein levels in the diet of Diamond Sparrows as they are prone to obesity if not kept correctly. Too much protein in their diet will cause them to become overweight quickly.
Care
Housing
Breeding Information
Age of Maturity |
1 Year |
Breeding Aviculture |
Uncommon |
Average Clutch Size |
3 - 5 Eggs |
Nest Box |
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Breeding Life |
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Hens may seem duller have smaller skulls or a paler pink beak in comparison to the cocks but the most reliable method of sexing is that the cock will sing and perform a courtship display using a blade of grass.
Male-female pairs will not breed unless they are compatible. The best way to ensure a compatible pair is to house a group of individuals together, and allow the birds to choose their own mates. Pairs may be bred in this colony fashion if they are housed in a very large, well-planted aviary; otherwise, each pair will need to be bred in its own large flight cage. A male will court a female by holding a long, stiff piece of grass in his bill while fluffing out his spotted flank feathers, standing up straight, and bobbing up-and-down on a perch. He will sing, and if the hen approaches, he may mimic the begging posture of fledglings by bowing low, turning his head toward her, and opening his beak. Copulation usually occurs in the privacy of the nest. Pairs tend to nest in large nest boxes and shrubs, often fairly close to the ground. Nests should be secluded with dense cover to provide pairs with a sense of security. Provide coconut fiber, long blades of fresh grass, sisal, and feathers for nesting material. Wild Diamond Firetails build nests using blades of grass, seed heads, and roots; the location of the nest is often in mistletoe bunches, bushes, eucalyptus trees, acacias, and occasionally in the lower portions of the stick-nests created by birds of prey. The inside of the nest is lined with plant silks and feathers. Both sexes share incubation, and both will roost in the nest at night. It is not uncommon for pairs to continue adding material to the nest even after incubation has begun. Provide soaked seed and egg food for rearing purposes. Live food is not necessary, but may increase the odds of successful breeding if it is provided. Both sexes will feed the chicks and brood the young until they are 10 days of age. Some pairs will create a second entrance to their nest once their chicks have hatched; this is thought to act as an "emergency exit." Because Diamond Firetails are intolerant of nest inspection, avoid nest checks (which can lead to the parents abandoning their eggs or young). Once the young are weaned, they should be moved to their own enclosure.
Wild Status
Decreasing - Least Concern