Cut Throated Finch information & care

Written by the Birdsville team. Last updated October 2026.

Cut throat finch care is all about a quality seed mix, plenty of protein, and a well set up aviary. Cut throat finches, also called cut-throated finches or “cutties”, are hardy African finches named for the bright red band across the male’s throat, which looks just like a cut. They’re friendly, easy to keep and, with the right feeding, very willing breeders. This guide covers diet, breeding, housing and health, with a full shopping list of the supplies we recommend, delivered Australia-wide by Petsville.

Cut Throat Finch Quick Facts

Scientific name: Amadina fasciata
Also known as: Cut-throated Finch, Cuttie
Native range: dry savannah south of the Sahara, from West Africa to Ethiopia and down through East Africa
Adult length: around 12 cm
Lifespan: commonly around 5 to 7 years
Diet: finch seed mix, live food, greens, egg and biscuit
Housing: pairs or colonies, in a long cage or aviary
Clutch: around 5 eggs
Fledging: around 21 days
Sexing: males have a red throat band, females don’t
Temperament: mostly peaceful, can be pushy when breeding
Experience level: beginner

Cut Throat Finch Shopping List

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

Live food is available in-store at Birdsville.

Cut Throat Finches in the Wild

Cut throat finches are native to Africa, where they live in dry savannah and semi desert country south of the Sahara, always where surface water is available. They’re commonly seen around villages and farms, sometimes in large numbers.

Housing and Warmth

Cut throat finches do well in a long cage or, better still, an aviary, kept in pairs or colonies. Provide perches of different thicknesses, a shallow bath, some shelter from wind and rain, and separate dishes for seed, grit, live food and water.

Seasonal tip: Cut throat finches are hardy, but they come from warm Africa, so keep them out of draughts and damp in winter, and shelter outdoor aviaries from cold southerly winds. In summer, give them shade all day and add Vetafarm Spark Liquid (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-spark-liquid-50ml) to the water on very hot days.

Cut Throat Finch Diet

Cut throat finches need a quality finch seed mix, plenty of protein from live food and egg and biscuit, fresh greens, grit and clean water every day.

Seed

Always provide a good quality seed mix. It’s essential for keeping your birds in good condition and for breeding success. 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, where the box is often better quality than the seed inside. Low quality grains and filler seed affect the health and vitality of your birds. See our Finch Seed page (https://birdsville.net.au/seeds-grains/finch-seed/) for more.

Sprouted Seed

All finches love sprouted seed. Wash it thoroughly with Vetafarm Aviclens (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-aviclens-water-cleanser-100ml) before feeding to remove bacteria.

Millet Sprays

Fresh seed still on the stem. Here’s a tip from our team. We stock a couple of varieties, and all are good for cut throat finches, but French white millet sprays are the best. Buy them on Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/products/millet-sprays-mixed-100g).

Greens

Greens are essential for good health. Cutties love silverbeet, spinach, seeding grasses, broccoli, chickweed, endive and finely chopped vegetables.

Live Food

Cut throat finches love mealworms and fly pupae, and live food is especially important when they’re breeding. Mix it with 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 high protein supplement that’s great for cut throat finches, especially when breeding. Try Shep’s Egg & Biscuit (https://petsville.com.au/products/sheps-egg-biscuit-500g).

Vitamins and Minerals

Add a vitamin and mineral supplement such as Vetafarm Multivet (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-multivet-50ml) to the water, so your birds actually receive it. Vitamins coated on seed are lost when finches remove the husk.

Shell Grit and Calcium

Shell grit is essential for calcium. We recommend a shell grit mix (https://petsville.com.au/products/shell-grit-5kg) containing limestone, crushed cuttlebone, shell and charcoal, kept in its own dish.

Breeding Cut Throat Finches

Cut throat finches are usually easy to breed when they’re well fed.

Here’s a tip from our team. We’ve heard some people struggle to breed these finches, which surprised us. One of our team kept cutties in a mixed aviary with zebra finches and star finches and couldn’t stop them breeding. He puts that success down to diet. Good feeding habits have a huge effect on breeding success. His birds always had a quality seed mix, live food (mealworms and fly pupae), egg and biscuit, and greens such as seeding grasses, endive, spinach and finely chopped vegetables. He also always had more finch nest boxes than pairs of finches, which he believes is essential for any breeding colony.

For nesting material, provide swamp grass and feathers (https://petsville.com.au/collections/bird-subsrate). The hen usually lays around 5 eggs. The chicks stay in the nest until they’re about 21 days old, and they’re weaned and cracking their own seed at around 5 weeks.

Cut throat hens are prone to egg binding, where an egg gets stuck, often because of a lack of calcium or breeding in the cold. During breeding, add Vetafarm Calcivet (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-calcivet-50ml) to the water, keep shell grit available at all times, and give pairs a rest between clutches. Vetafarm Breeding Aid (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-breeding-aid-100ml) on the seed also supports fertility and chick growth.

Sexing Cut Throat Finches

Cut throat finches are easy to sex. The male has a bright red band across his throat, plus a chestnut patch on his belly, and the female has a plain throat. You can usually tell young males from females by about 5 weeks old, when the male starts to show a slight red slash under his neck.

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 cut throat 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 nest boxes after the young have left.

Compatibility with Other Birds

Cut throat finches are mostly peaceful and live well with zebra finches, star finches and other similar sized finches. They can get pushy at breeding time, though, and may take over other finches’ nests, so give your aviary plenty of spare nest boxes and watch for bullying. For more ideas, see our Mixing Finches page [Mixing Finches page link].

Cut Throat Finch Frequently Asked Questions

What do cut throat finches eat?

A quality finch seed mix such as Birdsville Blends Finch & Canary, plus millet sprays, sprouted seed, greens and plenty of live food, especially when breeding. Mealworms, fly pupae, insectivore mix and egg and biscuit give them the protein they need. Always provide shell grit and fresh water.

How do you tell a male cut throat finch from a female?

Male cut throat finches have a bright red band across the throat, which looks like a cut, plus a chestnut patch on the belly. Females have a plain throat. Young males start showing their red throat band at around 5 weeks old, so pairs are easy to pick.

Are cut throat finches easy to breed?

Yes, cut throat finches usually breed well with a good diet and the right setup. Give them plenty of live food and egg and biscuit, swamp grass and feathers for nesting, and more nest boxes than you have pairs. The hen lays around 5 eggs, and chicks fledge at about 3 weeks.

Can cut throat finches live with other finches?

Usually, yes. Cut throat finches are mostly peaceful and live well with zebra finches, star finches and similar sized birds. They can get pushy at breeding time and may take over other finches’ nests, so give your aviary plenty of spare nest boxes and watch for bullying.

Why do cut throat finch hens get egg bound?

Cut throat hens are prone to egg binding, where an egg gets stuck, often because of a lack of calcium or breeding in cold weather. Always provide shell grit, add Calcivet to the water during breeding, keep birds warm, and don’t let hens breed nonstop without a rest.

How long do cut throat finches live?

Cut throat finches commonly live around 5 to 7 years in captivity, and some live longer with good care. A quality seed mix, plenty of protein, calcium, warmth, a clean aviary and regular worming all help them live a long, healthy life.

Visit Birdsville for Finch Supplies

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 is available in-store. Visit us or call (02) 9669 1766, and our team will help you set up the right home and diet for your cut throat finches. 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.