Even authoritative books written in the last decades have been unable to offer any information regarding the care of this species. Estrildid finches of the world by Derek Goodwin has "No information" under the headings of "Feeding and general habits", "Nesting", "Voice", and  "Display  and Social Behaviour". The Parrot-finch breeder's "bible",  Parrot Finches, The Aviculturist's Guide by Evans and Fidler can only offer, "The species is unknown in aviculture." While other books comment, "This species does not 
survive in captivity, " and, "There are  no recorded breeding successes." 

In recent years, good breeding results in Europe, and the illegal export from Indonesia (by declaring them as totally different species), have contributed to increased availability and a reduction in the prices being demanded. 

The Blue breasted Parrot-finch comes primarily from the island of Timor  in South East Asia. Timor covers approximately 12,000 square miles, so  this species has a very restricted range. (As a comparison, the US State of Maryland is approximately 10,000 square miles) 

The forehead, face, throat and breast of the adult male is a dark cobalt blue, the lower breast and belly are a paler cobalt, upperparts are bright green, rump and upper tail coverts are red. The bill is black and the legs are flesh-coloured. Adult hens are paler versions of the male, with the deep cobalt being replaced by turquoise, although some hens are almost as dark as the males. Young birds are easily identifiable as the breast is grey and the back is a duller green. The juveniles' bills are yellow/orange in colour. 

Two years ago a local bird importer offered Forbe's Parrot-finches for sale. These birds had been imported from Europe, where they had been raised in Holland. We purchased two pairs and then had to decide what we should try feeding them. As usual with very rare birds, the reports often contradicted each other. "Do not feed rice as it will kill the birds." "Feed brown rice", "High protein diet" "No protein", etc. Reports coming out of Europe were saying the birds put on weight very easily and, once fat, would never be any good for breeding. Bearing this is mind we set about developing a diet. The diet offered does vary a 
 little, depending on whether they are housed inside or have been transferred to an outside aviary to enjoy the summer. 

The basic maintenance diet includes finch mix, wild grass seeds, duck starter, niger seed, canary seed, millet sprays and our own grit mix (includes cuttlebone and egg shells baked at 250 degrees for 20 minutes.) A selection of greens, spinach, dandelion, chicory and other dark-leaf vegetables, are added to soaked seed and fruit each day. Base minerals and vitamins are added to the water. The birds also receive white worms, small mealworms, and fruit flies and their larvae, although we have not witnessed them feeding on the latter. 

A very strict control is kept on the high protein foods as this species, particularly the males, are prone to getting fat. They are usually very active and require more room than their more common Blue-faced and Red-headed cousins. 

We house these birds in communal aviaries or in pairs in breeding cages. We have found they breed much better in individual pairs housed in small aviaries measuring  approximately 4' X 5' X 6'. This also avoids any competition for live food. Each flight has clumps of Canary grass going from floor to ceiling and cedar boughs are put in the corners, again from floor to ceiling to provide secluded nesting sites. Dogwood boughs are hung about half way up the flight and around the perimeter. One pair of Parrot-finches 
housed in a small communal aviary, with a pair each of Gouldians and Owl Finches, had 5 good eggs and then started to fight with the Gouldians. We had to pull the eggs of both pairs and foster them or risk losing both nests. The Gouldians were also removed at this time. The female Parrot-finch went into a heavy moult and the male became really aggressive. There is not much doubt the hen would have been killed if there had been no cover in the aviary. The male took his frustration out on the Canary grass. The original clump measured approximately four feet high by two feet and was chewed in half! They also enjoy chewing
branches, especially the Dogwood. 

Our birds prefer to nest in wooden boxes as opposed to wicker baskets. A survey of three breeders showed the birds of only one breeder used wicker nests and that  breeder did not have any wooden boxes available in their flights. Typical of most parrot-finches these birds build a very tight nest that has a tiny entrance hole, which is almost impossible to see into. They prefer to build with coconut fiber but also take some sisal, other white  cotton fibers and long soft grass that we harvest locally. 

When a compatible pair are housed together they sit next to each other, bobbing up and down in unison with their bills almost touching. The male gives a soft, very high-pitch trill, much like that of the Red-head, only softer. Any further display has not been observed. Copulation has occasionally been observed on the perch but the pair spends much time  together in the nest, and it is believed that copulation usually takes place there. 

When the pairs are set up for breeding the maintenance diet is supplemented with egg food at the rate of 6 cups to 7 hard-boiled eggs. Cooked brown rice is also offered but is withheld during the rest of the year to avoid the obesity risk. 

The average clutch contains 4-6 tiny white eggs and both birds share the incubation duties. Eggs hatch after 13 days. The chicks have the four reflective papillae typical of the genus. These papillae, at the junction of the mandibles, open into a square when the chicks beg for food and assist the parents in knowing where to place the food in the dark confines of the nest. The papillae of this species are blue. The chicks fledge at around 18 days and are dependent on their parents for a  further 3 weeks, although they can be seen picking at seeds a week after fledging. We usually leave the young with their parents until the next 
clutch of eggs is about to hatch. This avoids competition between the two clutches for the rearing food. The sexes can be determined between 10 and 12 weeks. 

Our goal is always to have our birds rear their own young if possible. We set up 5 pairs of  Blue breasted Parrot-finches at the beginning of this breeding season. Three pairs were housed in communal flights while the remaining two pairs were housed by themselves in the small aviaries. 

We realized the importance of increasing the number of these rare birds as efficiently as possible. To assist us in this goal the eggs from the first three pairs were fostered to Bengalese and the other two pairs were allowed to raise their own young. The season is just winding down and we have over 30 current year birds, about half of which were parent-raised. Next season we will concentrate on having all pairs raise  their own young. 

Two of the young from a late nest appear to be dilute in colour. The parents are normal-coloured but the chicks' backs are blue and the normally red rump is a pale tan colour. This mutation has appeared in Europe but very little is known about it. We hope to be able to continue with these new coloured birds next year and see if the gene is sex-linked or autosomal (normal) recessive. 

It is important for breeders to share their experiences and for us to learn from each other. I would like to thank Dave Smith for sending me some of his observations and opinions relating to the display and breeding cycle of his birds. Also to Grant Rishman for compiling all the information and organizing it into a legible format. 

Work cited: 
Evans, Stewart and Mike Fidler. Parrot Finches, the avicuturist's guide. London, England.
Blandford. 1990 
Fidler, Mike. Personal communication, 1999. 
Goodwin, Derek. Estrildid finches of the world. Ithaca, NY. Comstock Publishing
Associates. 1982 
Vriends, Matthew. The complete book of finches. New York, NY. Howell. 1987