Breeding Green singers has been somewhat of another mystery. Not quite as domesticated as their close cousin the Canary, each individual couple will require more privacy, experimentation and patience.Females: Characterized by a "necklace" of dark dots along her neckline. (This is not 100% reliable, as hens have been known to not recover their necklace after moulting). Overall color is drabber than the males. Chirps but does not sing.
Males: Brighter and clearer in color. Sings a lovely "warbler" type of song.
Breeding Season: Based on internal clock is September through late October. In captivity, has been known to breed at various times throughout the year, providing the surroundings and foods are adequate for stimulation, the colder months being more predominant, (which coincides with the internal timeclock of the Southern Hemisphere).
Type of nest: Varies per couple. Ranging from small tea strainers, to Canary baskets, to covered finch type baskets, to hollow logs, to open areas within a huge flight. .
Nesting material offered: Most sucessful being burlap lining with burlap fiber, commercial cotton cloth fiber, coconut fiber. Others reported to have used hamster fluff, doghair, horsehair, cleaned roots, bermuda grass, rice hay, and cotton fiber. Singers are noted as being somewhat lazy in the construction of the nest not being the best of builders. However, they are also noted for keeping their nests very clean.
Foods: Commercial eggfood offered with real hardboiled eggfood, mealworms and all the regular greens and staples normally provided.
Potential problems: Not enough privacy and/or space, which causes male to tear up the nest and/or eat eggs. Attacking the fledglings at 3 months of age or so has occurred. Possible solutions: Remove male from cage after fertilization has occurred, or switch to a covered basket before removing the male. Return the male after chicks have hatched.
Appropriate amount of lighting: 12-15 hours per day. Indoors, full spectrum light desirable.
Number of eggs layed in a clutch: 3-4
Incubation: approx 14 days.