I have two silverbills. How do I tell the sexes apart? They eat only seed. What can I add to their diet? Do they prefer open or closed nests, and what kind of nesting material do they use?

Silverbills are excellent cage and aviary birds, since they are peaceful, hardy, lively and easy to keep. Named for the silver color of their beaks, silverrbills are dressed in subdued colors; never less, they are handsome, highly recommended pet finches.

Three silverbills are available: African, Indian and pearl-headed silverbills. African silverbills and Indian silverbills, both both wearing sandy-brown plummage, are very closely related species. (They are so similar that they are sometimes not considered separate species.) The most obvious difference between these two birds is their rump color: African silverbills have black rumps; Indian silverbills have white rumps. Pearl-headed silverbills (also called pearl-headed amadines) are a little more demanding to keep and breed, and they are visally different from their cousins. These attractive African finches have gray heads speckled with white on the face and throat, and pinkish-brown underparts.

Silverbills, like many other mannikins, are difficult to sex visually; consequently, the most reliable method of sexing silverbills is listening for the song of the male. Males sing, and females do not. To ensure male/female pairs, acquire a group of birds, and allow them to select their own mates.

All the silverbills have fairly similar eating habits. For the seed portion of their diet, provide a finch seed mixture that contains millet seeds plus a variety of other seeds. Supplement the dry seed mixture with servings of soaked seeds, ripening heads of seedling grasses (such as crabgrass) and soaked (as well as dry) millet sprays -- all favorite items with my silverbills.

To enhance the menu and to provide the protein lacking in seed, also offer some nestling food, egg food mixture or pellet (complete) food for finches. Experiment until you find the products or mixtures your birds accept. Several of my silverbills like a mashed hardboiled egg mixture, so I suggest you start there.

Another excellent addition to the diet is fresh greens, such as spinach, kale, chickweed and dandelion leaves. In addition, offer cuttlebone and mineral mixture or oyster shell.

Depending on the birds you have, live food may be an important addition to the menu. For example, pearl-headed silverbills avidly consume mealworms, waxworms and fly larvae. In contrast, my Indian silverbills refuse live food I offer, my African silverbills eat live food only occasionally (even when they are not breeding). In my experience, it is not necessary to give African or Indian silverbills live food, as long as they are eating other foods that provide the protein seeds lack, such as nesting food, egg food or a pelleted food.

Offer your birds a roomy cage or flight. If a cage is used, it should be at least 30 inches long. Include plant cover, because silverbills, which are sometimes a little nervous, like the security of being able to seek protection under cover. Silverbills also enjoy the security of roosting nests, where these social birds often roost together in groups.

All three silverbills are peaceful birds that are ideal companions in mixed flights, where silverbills (parents and young) can also be kept together after the breeding season has ended (when juveniles, which often want to continue roosting with their parents, will not make it difficult for the parents to tend another clutch of eggs). When keeping silverbills in mixed flights, take care not to combine different silverbill species, avoid mixing silverbills (especially African silverbills) with other mannikins, or unwanted hybrids might result.

All three silverbills are willing to breed in captivity, but African silverbills are known as particularly prolific breeders. Silverbills breed best in roomy cages or flights wiht plant cover. My birds prefer large, enclosed wicker baskets and wooden boxes. They accept varied nesting materials, including dried grasses, coconut fiber, moss, feathers and dried seed heads of sedges. Basically, silverbills are not fussy about nests or nesting materials, though pearl-headed silverbills may reject commercial baskets or boxes, preferring instead to build their own nests.

When young hatch, adults need nutritious, easily digested foods to feed their nestlings. Offer nestling foods, mashed hard-broiled egg mixture, greens, soaked seeds or soaked millet spray and ripening seedling grasses. For pearl-headed silverbills, add a plentiful supply of live food to the breeding menu. African and Indian silverbills generally do not need live food to raise young successfully, but there is no reason not to give them live food if they enjoy it.

Many silverbills are good breeders with a strong desire to raise young. With particular prolific pairs, limit the birds to three clutches annually to prevent adults (especially females) from being worn out by breeding chores.