How to Care for Aurora Finches

Written by the Birdsville team. Last updated October 2026.

Aurora finch care comes down to a quality finch seed mix, plenty of live food, warmth, and a well planted aviary for breeding. The aurora finch, also known as the red-winged pytilia, is a striking African finch with soft grey plumage and bright crimson wings and tail. They’re very insectivorous, so live food is a must. This guide covers how to care for aurora finches, from diet and breeding to housing and health, with a full shopping list of the supplies we recommend, delivered Australia-wide by Petsville.

Aurora Finch Quick Facts

Scientific name: Pytilia phoenicoptera
Also known as: Red-winged Pytilia, Crimson-winged Pytilia
Native range: the savannah belt of Africa, from West Africa east to Sudan and Uganda
Adult length: around 12 cm
Lifespan: commonly around 5 to 7 years
Diet: finch seed mix, plenty of live food, egg and biscuit, greens
Warmth: sensitive to cold, keep out of draughts
Housing: pairs, in a planted aviary with dense cover
Clutch: around 3 to 5 white eggs, incubated for about 13 days
Sexing: hens have duller red than cocks
Temperament: generally peaceful
Experience level: intermediate

Aurora Finch Shopping List

Everything in this guide is available from Petsville, which delivers Australia-wide, or in-store at Birdsville in Sydney.

Live food and finch nest boxes are available in-store at Birdsville.

Aurora Finches in the Wild

Aurora finches are native to Africa, where they’re found across the savannah belt from West Africa east to Sudan and Uganda. They live in open woodland, scrub and cultivated fields, and they’re never far from water.

Housing and Warmth

Aurora finches do best in a planted aviary with dense cover, where they can hide and nest. A long cage also suits a pair. Provide perches of different thicknesses, a shallow bath, and separate dishes for seed, grit, live food and water.

Seasonal tip: Aurora finches come from warm parts of Africa and feel the cold. In winter, bring cages indoors or fully shelter outdoor aviaries, cover the windward side, and add gentle heating in cold areas. In summer, give them shade all day, a bath, and Vetafarm Spark Liquid (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-spark-liquid-50ml) in the water on very hot days.

Aurora Finch Diet

Aurora finches need a quality finch seed mix, plenty of live food, egg and biscuit, greens, grit, vitamins and fresh water every day.

Seed

A good quality seed mix is essential. Our top pick is Birdsville Blends Finch & Canary (https://petsville.com.au/products/birdsville-blends-finch-canary-500g), our biggest selling finch blend. It’s bagged fresh on site with a high turnover, so the seed never sits on a shelf, and buying from the people who mix it means better value. Be wary of many supermarket and chain store mixes, which use low quality grains and filler seed that affect the health and vitality of your birds. If you’re unsure about your seed, ask a bird specialist.

Sprouted Seed

Sprouted seed is very good for aurora finches. Clean it thoroughly with Vetafarm Aviclens (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-aviclens-water-cleanser-100ml) to remove bacteria before feeding.

Millet Sprays

Fresh seed still attached to the stem. There are a number of varieties, and we recommend French white millet sprays. Buy them on Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/products/millet-sprays-mixed-100g).

Greens

Seeding grasses and chickweed.

Live Food

Aurora finches are very insectivorous, so they must be given live food, especially when breeding. Feed mealworms and fly pupae with insectivore mix, such as Insectivore Rearing Mix (https://petsville.com.au/products/wombaroo-insectivore-rearing-mix-250g) or Vetafarm Insecta-Pro (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-insecta-pro-450g). Live food is available in-store at Birdsville.

Egg and Biscuit

A very important supplement for aurora finches. Try Shep’s Egg & Biscuit (https://petsville.com.au/products/sheps-egg-biscuit-500g), mixed with the live food.

Vitamins

Vitamins are essential for the vitality of your birds. Add a supplement such as Vetafarm Multivet (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-multivet-50ml) to the water, because vitamins on seed are lost when finches remove the husk.

Grit

Supply a fine finch grit of charcoal, crushed cuttlebone, shell, baked egg shell and limestone, such as shell grit (https://petsville.com.au/products/shell-grit-5kg), in its own dish.

Breeding Aurora Finches

Aurora finches breed in half open finch nest boxes, woven cane nests or dense foliage. You must add nesting material, such as swamp grass, plus white feathers to line the nest (https://petsville.com.au/collections/bird-subsrate).

The hen lays around 3 to 5 white eggs, and both parents share the incubation, which takes about 13 days. The young leave the nest at around 3 weeks old, and the parents keep feeding them for about another 4 weeks. Don’t remove the chicks from the aviary until they’re feeding themselves. Plenty of live food and egg and biscuit is essential throughout breeding, and Vetafarm Breeding Aid (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-breeding-aid-100ml) on the seed also helps support fertility and chick growth.

Sexing Aurora Finches

The red on the hen isn’t as bright as it is on the cock. Males are a cleaner grey with brighter crimson wings and tail, while hens are a browner grey with duller red. Comparing birds side by side is the easiest way to pick a pair.

Health and Parasite Control

Watch for fluffed up feathers, sitting still and inactive, a dirty vent, or a thin chest where the keel bone sticks out. A sick finch can go downhill within hours. Move it to a small, warm cage straight away, add Spark Liquid to its water, and see an avian vet. For more on finch health, see our Finch Care page [Finch Care page link].

Worm your aurora finches every 3 months if they live outdoors, or every 6 months indoors, using Vetafarm Wormout Gel (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-wormout-gel-50ml). Spray birds, nests and the aviary with Avitrol Mite & Lice Spray (https://petsville.com.au/products/fidos-avitrol-bird-mite-and-lice-spray-125ml) every 3 months, avoiding the eyes. Keep new birds separate for 4 to 6 weeks before introducing them, and give them Spark Liquid in their water for the first few days after a move.

Cleaning

Daily: fresh water and seed in clean dishes, blow husks off the seed, and remove old live food and greens.
Weekly: clean the cage or aviary thoroughly.
Monthly: disinfect with Vetafarm Avicare (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-avicare-rtu-500ml), clean or replace branches, and clean out nests after the young have left.

Compatibility with Other Birds

Aurora finches are generally peaceful with other small finches, such as waxbills and mannikins, and they suit an African themed aviary. Males can be aggressive toward other pytilias and similar red winged birds, so keep just one pair of pytilias per aviary and provide plenty of cover. For more on mixing birds, see our Mixing Different Species of Bird page (https://birdsville.net.au/pet-bird-advice-and-training/mixing-different-species-of-bird/).

Aurora Finch Frequently Asked Questions

What do aurora finches eat?

A quality finch seed mix such as Birdsville Blends Finch & Canary, plus sprouted seed, millet sprays and greens. Aurora finches are very insectivorous, so they need live food such as mealworms and fly pupae with insectivore mix, plus egg and biscuit, especially when breeding. Provide fine grit and fresh water too.

Is the aurora finch the same as the red-winged pytilia?

Yes. The aurora finch and the red-winged pytilia are two names for the same bird, Pytilia phoenicoptera. Aurora finch is the name most Australian keepers use, while red-winged pytilia is more common overseas and in bird books.

How do you tell a male aurora finch from a female?

The hen’s red isn’t as bright as the cock’s. Males are a cleaner grey with brighter crimson wings and tail, while hens are a browner grey with duller red. Comparing birds side by side is the easiest way to pick a pair.

Do aurora finches need live food?

Yes. Aurora finches are very insectivorous and must be given live food, such as mealworms and fly pupae with insectivore mix, especially when breeding. Without enough live food, pairs rarely raise their chicks. Live food is available in-store at Birdsville, and Insecta-Pro is an easy backup.

Do aurora finches need heat?

Aurora finches come from warm parts of Africa, so they feel the cold. Keep them out of draughts and damp, shelter outdoor aviaries or bring cages indoors in winter, and add gentle heating in cold areas. In summer, give them shade all day and a shallow bath.

Can aurora finches live with other finches?

Yes, aurora finches are generally peaceful with other small finches, such as waxbills and mannikins, in a planted aviary. Males can be aggressive toward other pytilias and similar red winged birds, so keep only one pair of pytilias per aviary and provide plenty of cover.

Aurora Finch Supplies at Birdsville

Every product in this guide is available online from Petsville, delivered Australia-wide, or in-store at Birdsville, 684 Botany Road, Alexandria NSW 2015, servicing the Eastern Suburbs and Inner South Sydney. Live food and finch nest boxes are available in-store. If you’re after aurora finches, call us on (02) 9669 1766 to check what’s in. Our team can also help you set up the right home and diet for your birds. Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BirdsvilleRosebery/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/petsvillesydney/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@birdsvillepets) for live updates.

About Birdsville

Birdsville has been trading in Sydney since 1985, and we believe we’re now the oldest bricks and mortar bird shop still open in Australia. Owner Ash brings experience from vet clinics and from zoo keeping at the Rainforest Habitat in Port Douglas, now Wildlife Habitat. We’re a small business that does things in a big way. Nobody tells us how to run things, so we keep our products the best of the best.