How to Care for Plum Headed Finches

Written by the Birdsville team. Last updated October 2026.

Plum headed finch care comes down to a quality finch seed mix, plenty of live food, fresh greens, and a planted aviary with low cover for nesting. The plum headed finch, also written plum-headed finch, is a pretty Australian native with a deep plum crown and a finely barred chest. They’re peaceful, nomadic little birds that suit a mixed Australian finch aviary. This guide covers how to care for plum headed finches, from diet and breeding to housing and health, with a full shopping list of the supplies we recommend, delivered Australia-wide by Petsville.

Plum Headed Finch Quick Facts

Scientific name: Aidemosyne modesta (formerly Neochmia modesta)
Also known as: Plum-headed Finch, Cherry Finch
Native range: inland eastern Australia, from central Queensland to central New South Wales
Adult length: around 11 cm
Lifespan: commonly around 5 to 7 years
Diet: finch seed mix, live food, greens, egg and biscuit
Housing: pairs, ideally in a planted aviary with low cover
Clutch: around 5 white eggs, incubated for about 12 days
Sexing: females have a white stripe above the eye
Licence: required in NSW
Temperament: peaceful
Experience level: beginner to intermediate

Plum Headed 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.

Plum Headed Finches in the Wild

Plum headed finches are Australian natives found inland across eastern Australia, from central Queensland to central New South Wales. They live in scrub country and grassland, and they’re nomadic, moving around to follow seeding grasses.

Here’s an observation from our team. One of our team has even seen plum headed finches just 150 metres from the Homebush stadium in Sydney, which shows how far these nomadic little birds can wander.

Licensing

A licence is required to keep plum headed finches in NSW. Licence rules differ between states, so check with your state wildlife authority before buying one. Birdsville doesn’t sell plum headed finches, but we stock everything they need, in-store and on Petsville.

Housing Plum Headed Finches

Plum headed finches do best in a planted aviary with plenty of low shrubs and thick grass, where they feel secure and like to nest. A long cage also works for a pair. Provide perches of different thicknesses, a shallow bath, and separate dishes for seed, grit, live food and water.

Seasonal tip: Plum headed finches are fairly hardy, but they still need shelter from wind, rain and draughts. In winter, keep outdoor aviaries partly covered against cold southerly winds. 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.

Plum Headed Finch Diet

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

Seed

To have success breeding these finches, you must feed them a good quality finch mix. 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 aren’t high quality, because low grade grains and filler seed affect the health and vitality of your birds. If you’re unsure about your seed, ask a bird specialist.

Sprouted Seed

Always clean sprouted seed thoroughly with Vetafarm Aviclens (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-aviclens-water-cleanser-100ml) to remove bacteria before feeding it to your birds.

Millet Sprays

Fresh seed still on the stem is relished by all finches. We recommend French white millet as one of the best millet sprays for plum headed finches. Buy them on Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/products/millet-sprays-mixed-100g).

Greens

Seeding grass, chickweed, silverbeet and broccoli.

Live Food

Offer mealworms, gentles (fly larvae), whiteworms and fly pupae, especially when birds are raising chicks. Live food is available in-store at Birdsville.

Egg and Biscuit

Feed egg and biscuit in small amounts, mixed with the live food and an 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). Try Shep’s Egg & Biscuit (https://petsville.com.au/products/sheps-egg-biscuit-500g).

Vitamins

Add a vitamin supplement such as Vetafarm Multivet (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-multivet-50ml) to the water. Vitamins added to seed are wasted, because finches remove the husk.

Grit

Supply a finch grit of baked egg shell, charcoal, limestone, crushed cuttlebone and crushed shell, such as shell grit (https://petsville.com.au/products/shell-grit-5kg). Don’t mix grit into the seed. Always put it in a separate dish.

Breeding Plum Headed Finches

Plum headed finches nest best in low shrubs and thick grass, so a planted aviary gives the best results. Provide plenty of nesting material (https://petsville.com.au/collections/bird-subsrate).

The hen lays around 5 white eggs, and both parents take turns incubating them for about 12 days. It’s especially important to increase the amount of live food while they’re raising chicks. The chicks are almost 4 weeks old when they start to venture out of the nest, and the parents keep feeding them for about another 4 weeks while they learn to crack seed and feed on their own. Vetafarm Breeding Aid (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-breeding-aid-100ml) on the seed also helps support fertility and chick growth.

Sexing Plum Headed Finches

The male has a much more pronounced dark throat bib than the female, but the best way to tell the sexes apart is the white stripe above the female’s eye, which males don’t have. Males also have a deeper plum crown.

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 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), and tidy nesting areas after the young have left.

Compatibility with Other Birds

Plum headed finches are peaceful and mix well with other gentle finches, such as Gouldians, star finches and other Australian natives, in a planted aviary. Give them plenty of low cover for nesting, and avoid housing them with aggressive or much larger birds. 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/).

Plum Headed Finch Frequently Asked Questions

What do plum headed finches eat?

A quality finch seed mix such as Birdsville Blends Finch & Canary, plus millet sprays, sprouted seed, greens and live food, especially when raising chicks. Mealworms, gentles, whiteworms and fly pupae with insectivore mix and a little egg and biscuit give them the protein they need. Always provide grit and fresh water.

How do you tell a male plum headed finch from a female?

Male plum headed finches have a larger, darker throat bib, but the most reliable way to tell them apart is the female’s white stripe above each eye, which males don’t have. Males also have a deep plum crown, while the female’s crown is duller and browner.

Do I need a licence to keep plum headed finches?

In NSW, you need a licence to keep plum headed finches, as they’re a protected Australian native bird. Licence rules differ between states, so check with your state wildlife authority before buying one. Birdsville doesn’t sell plum headed finches, but we stock everything they need.

Where do plum headed finches come from?

Plum headed finches are Australian natives found inland across eastern Australia, from central Queensland to central New South Wales. They live in scrub and grassland, and they’re nomadic, following seeding grasses. Our team has even seen them about 150 metres from the Homebush stadium in Sydney.

Are plum headed finches easy to breed?

They can be, with the right setup. Plum headed finches like to nest low, in shrubs and thick grass, so a planted aviary works best. The hen lays around 5 white eggs, both parents incubate them for about 12 days, and plenty of live food is essential while they raise chicks.

Can plum headed finches live with other finches?

Yes, plum headed finches are peaceful and mix well with other gentle finches, such as Gouldians, star finches and other Australian natives, in a planted aviary. Give them plenty of low cover for nesting, and avoid housing them with aggressive or much larger birds.

Plum Headed Finch Supplies at Birdsville

We don’t sell plum headed finches, but we stock everything they need. 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 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.