Blue Capped Cordon Bleu Care, Diet and Breeding

Written by the Birdsville team. Last updated October 2026.

The blue capped cordon bleu is a small, gentle African waxbill that needs a quality finch seed mix, live food every day, sprouted seed, greens, grit and a warm, planted aviary or large flight cage. It’s a placid bird that suits a quiet mixed finch aviary, and the male’s solid sky blue head makes it one of the most beautiful finches you can keep. This guide covers everything you need to know. Every product we recommend, and plenty more, is available in-store at Birdsville in Sydney, or online through our partner store Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/) with delivery Australia-wide.

Male blue capped cordon bleu with a fully blue head, photographed in Tanzania — Male blue capped cordon bleu, photographed by our team in Tanzania

Blue Capped Cordon Bleu Quick Facts

Scientific name: Uraeginthus cyanocephalus
Other names: Blue headed cordon bleu, blue cap
Native to: East Africa, from Ethiopia and Somalia through Kenya to Tanzania
Adult size: About 13cm including the tail
Lifespan: About 7 to 9 years
Diet: Quality finch seed mix, live food, sprouted seed, greens, egg and biscuit, grit
Temperament: Placid, suits a quiet mixed finch aviary
Housing: Planted aviary or large flight cage, kept warm and draught free
Sexing: Easy, the male has a fully blue head
Experience level: Some finch experience helpful

Where Blue Capped Cordon Bleus Come From

Blue capped cordon bleus live in the dry savannah, grassland and scrub of East Africa, usually close to water with small shrubs and trees for cover.

Staff Tip From the Birdsville Team

“I was lucky enough to see these birds in the wild in the Serengeti in Tanzania. They were amazingly tame, coming within a couple of feet of where we were standing. I got some great photos, including the one on this page, and others of blue caps feeding alongside ruddy finches.” Seeing them in the wild shows how much they love feeding on the ground among grass and low shrubs, so give yours an aviary with plenty of ground level foraging space and cover.

Housing Blue Capped Cordon Bleus

Blue capped cordon bleus do best in a large, planted aviary with plenty of hiding places, or a roomy flight cage. They won’t breed without privacy, and they dislike overcrowding.

They’re placid birds and live happily in a mixed aviary with other calm finches, but keep just one pair of cordon bleus per aviary. Never house them with red cheeked cordon bleus or other cordon bleu types, as they can cross breed.

As African birds, they feel the cold. Keep their aviary sheltered from wind and rain, with a fully covered, draught free area for cold nights. Our Finch Cages and Aviaries page [Finch Cages and Aviaries link] can help you choose the right setup.

What to Feed a Blue Capped Cordon Bleu

A healthy blue capped cordon bleu diet is a quality finch seed mix every day, plus live food, sprouted seed, greens, egg and biscuit, vitamins and fine grit.

Seed

These uncommon finches must be fed a good quality finch mix. Our top pick is Birdsville Blends Finch and Canary (https://petsville.com.au/products/birdsville-blends-finch-canary-500g), blended with grains, fruit, vegetables and greens. For a plain everyday mix, try our Basic Finch Mix (https://petsville.com.au/products/avigrain-seed-finch-blue-2kg).

Why our seed is better: our seed and Birdsville Blends are very high quality. Many chain store mixes are bulked out with low quality grain and filler seed, and that affects the health and vitality of your finches. Ours is bagged fresh on site from quality ingredients, with a high turnover so it never sits on a shelf for long. Buying direct from the people who mix it also means better value.

Millet Sprays

Millet sprays are fresh seed still on the stem, and every finch loves them. Of the millet sprays we stock, we recommend French white for finches. French White Millet seed (https://petsville.com.au/products/avigrain-seed-french-white-millet-1kg) is also a favourite in the seed dish.

Sprouted Seed

All African finches relish sprouted seed. Rinse it thoroughly with Vetafarm Aviclens (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-aviclens-water-cleanser-100ml) to remove bacteria before feeding, and remove any leftovers the same day.

Live Food

Cordon bleus are partly insectivorous, so live food is a very important part of their diet all year round. Supply mealworms, fly pupae or maggots regularly, with a few pinches of insectivore mix such as Vetafarm 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 mealworms are available in-store at Birdsville. They can’t be posted, so they’re not sold online.

Egg and Biscuit

Egg and biscuit is a great protein supplement. Add it in a separate dish or with the live food. Try Shep’s Egg and Biscuit (https://petsville.com.au/products/sheps-egg-biscuit-500g).

Fruit and Vegetable Guide

Greens

Seeding grasses, dandelion, chickweed, cucumber, endive and silverbeet. Offer spinach only sparingly.

Fruit

A little apple.

Avoid Entirely

Never feed avocado, chocolate, onion, caffeine, alcohol or salty and sugary human food.

Vitamins

Add vitamins to the water supply, as liquid or powder. Vitamins added to seed are wasted, because finches shell each seed before eating it. Vetafarm Multivet (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-multivet-50ml) is a good choice for aviary birds.

Grit

Grit is very important for feather growth and for egg production in female finches. Supply a fine finch grit containing charcoal, crushed cuttlebone, baked egg shell, shell and limestone, in its own dish. A Calcium and Charcoal Grit Button (https://petsville.com.au/products/calcium-charcoal-grit-button) is an easy extra.

Blue capped cordon bleu finch nesting in a woven weaver nest — Blue cap finch using a weaver nest

Breeding Blue Capped Cordon Bleus

Blue capped cordon bleus breed well in a quiet, planted aviary with plenty of live food. The hen lays 3 to 6 white eggs, both parents share incubation, and the eggs hatch after about 13 to 14 days.

Nesting

Blue caps nest in half open nest boxes, wicker nests and thick shrubs. Supply Swamp Grass (https://petsville.com.au/products/breeders-delight-nesting-material-swamp-grass-50g) for building the nest and white feathers for lining it. A woven nest such as the BeakJoy Seagrass Nest Weaver (https://petsville.com.au/products/beakjoy-seagrass-nest-weaver) also works well.

Raising the Chicks

The chicks stay in the nest for about 3 weeks before they venture out. The parents keep feeding them for another 3 to 4 weeks, and young birds colour up into adult plumage at around 3 months. While raising chicks, the parents greatly increase the amount of live food they eat, so keep plenty available if you want the chicks to thrive.

Sexing Blue Capped Cordon Bleus

Blue capped cordon bleus are easy to sex. The male’s whole head, including the crown, is bright blue. The female is a softer, paler blue, and the top of her head is light brown, matching her back.

Worming

Worm your finch a few weeks to two months after bringing it home. Check with the Birdsville team for the right timing when you buy. Recently weaned young birds have delicate gut bacteria still developing, and worming too early can harm it and your bird.

After that, worm every 6 months. Worming is essential for the health of all finches in captivity. Avitrol Plus Bird Worm Syrup (https://petsville.com.au/products/fidos-avitrol-plus-bird-worm-syrup-25ml) goes straight into the water.

Lice and Mites

Lice and mites are the two most common parasites of cage and aviary birds, but they’re easily controlled with a mite and lice spray such as Avitrol Mite and Lice Spray (https://petsville.com.au/products/fidos-avitrol-bird-mite-and-lice-spray-125ml).

Spray the birds, the entire cage or aviary, perches, nest boxes and toys. Remove all food and water first, and avoid the birds’ eyes and mouths. Always follow the directions on the bottle.

Sydney Seasonal Tips for Blue Capped Cordon Bleus

Winter: As African finches, blue caps feel the cold. On cold Sydney nights, make sure the aviary has a fully enclosed, draught free shelter, and cover cages at night. Keep live food and egg and biscuit going so they have the energy to stay warm.

Summer: Give plenty of shade and fresh water on hot days, and a shallow bath. Change sprouted seed and live food more often in the heat, as it spoils quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions About Blue Capped Cordon Bleus

How do you tell a male from a female blue capped cordon bleu?

It’s easy. The male has a completely blue head, including the top of the head, and brighter colour overall. The female is paler blue, with light brown on the crown and back of the head that matches her wings. This makes blue caps one of the simplest waxbills to pair up correctly.

What do blue capped cordon bleus eat?

They eat a quality finch seed mix every day, plus live food such as mealworms or fly pupae, sprouted seed, seeding grasses and greens, egg and biscuit and fine grit. Live food matters all year, and even more when breeding. Add vitamins to the water, because finches shell their seed and waste vitamins added to it.

Can blue capped cordon bleus live with other finches?

Yes. They’re placid birds that live well in a mixed aviary with other calm finches. Keep just one pair of cordon bleus per aviary, and never house them with red cheeked cordon bleus or other cordon bleu types, as they can cross breed. Give them plenty of cover so they feel safe.

How long do blue capped cordon bleus live?

Blue capped cordon bleus usually live about 7 to 9 years with good care. A quality fresh seed mix, regular live food, grit, vitamins, worming and a warm, draught free aviary all help them reach a full lifespan. Cold, damp conditions and low quality seed are two of the most common reasons they don’t.

Are blue capped cordon bleus good for beginners?

They suit keepers with a little finch experience. They’re gentle and easy to sex, but they need live food every day and protection from the cold, which makes them more work than zebra finches or society finches. If you’ve kept hardy finches before, a pair of blue caps is a great next step.

Visit Birdsville

We’re a small business that does things in a big way. With no one telling us how to run things, we can keep our seed, blends and products the best of the best.

Not in Sydney? Every product in this guide can be ordered online through Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/) and delivered anywhere in Australia.

In Sydney? Visit us at Birdsville, 684 Botany Road, Alexandria NSW 2015, on the corner of Gardeners Road, servicing the Eastern Suburbs and Inner South Sydney, or call us on (02) 9669 1766. We stock blue capped cordon bleus from time to time, but not often, so call ahead to check before you visit, and ask about placing a deposit on the next ones we get in.

For live updates, photos and what’s new in store, follow us on TikTok [TikTok link], Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BirdsvilleRosebery/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/petsvillesydney/).