Abstract
Society or Bengalese Finches are not exactly the rare beauties of the bird world, but they are not totally without merit. They are hardy, easy to care for and inexpensive - ideal beginner's finches. They do not have a particularly attractive voice, but are outgoing, bold and always busy - delightful birds to watch. They also have a special place in aviculture in that they willingly raise the chicks of many exotic finches, which, for a variety of reasons, will not raise their own.Societies are not found in the wild in their present form. They are believed to be a domesticated form of the White-backed or Sharp-tailed Munia, a relative of the various nuns and munias found commonly in aviculture today. Apparently, the Chinese first kept these Bengalese Finches in captivity several hundred years ago and then they were imported into Japan around 1700, where they went through several changes. Through selective breeding, a strain of birds was produced which would readily reproduce in cages and which had strong parental instincts. Somewhere along the line the different color variations were also developed.
The chocolate or dark brown Society is closest to the original wild munia. The fawn, or light brown, and white were developed in captivity. Most Societies available today are pied (i.e., chocolate and white or fawn and white) with a wide variation, both in the extent of the white plumage versus color and in the shade of chocolate or fawn.
The crested variety in which the crown feathers are curled or twisted at odd...