How to Build a Finch Aviary

Finches are adorable cage birds to own. Their soft "beep-beep-beep" is soothing and funny. Their hyper antics, foraging, and social activities are endearing and entertaining to watch. Social birds who live in groups or colonies, finches will need room for daily living and breeding if more than a couple are kept, and especially if more than one variety of finch is kept together. There may come a time that a larger flight area or aviary is necessary or desired for the size flock being kept. A large reach-in, movable aviary, for use indoors or outdoors in warm weather, is easy to make with simple tools and inexpensive materials.

Things You'll Need

• Materials:
• 12 one-inch by one-inch by four-foot lengths of lumber
• 8 one-inch by one-inch by three-foot lengths of lumber
• 100 square feet small mesh screening (four-foot roll)
• Slim carpentry screws or fasteners
• Sandpaper
• Bendable wire
• Tools:
• Heavy duty staple gun and staples
• Drill
• Miter saw
• Hammer
• Pliers
• Wire snips

Instructions

1. Sand all the lumber so there are no rough edges or splinters.

2. Square the corners of all of the lengths of lumber with the miter saw.

3. Assemble two four-foot high by four-foot wide frames, either with screws or fasteners. Stretch, cut, and staple the wire mesh over them. These will be the front and back panels of the aviary.

4. Assemble four four-foot high by three-foot wide frames with screws or fasteners. Stretch, cut, and staple the wire mesh over them. These will be the top, bottom, and left and right sides of the aviary.

5. Screw all six screened frames together into a four-foot high by three-foot wide by four-foot long box shape.

6. Working on the left side of the aviary, use the wire snips to cut open three sides of a small door from the wire mesh, twelve inches wide and twelve inches high, bending the screen on the left margin of the door. Cut a length of wire to loop in the door to latch it closed.

Tips & Warnings

• This small aviary can sit on a shelf unit, a table, or atop two saw horses. Use non-toxic wood--untreated, redwood if possible. If used indoors, line the bottom of the aviary with paper towels to replace every couple of days to keep the aviary and the area around it clean from droppings and seeds. Cut a door in both left and right sides of the aviary if necessary to reach inside to place accessories. Decorate the aviary with sticks or dowels for perches, nesting baskets, and food and water containers.

References

• Parrot Chronicles
• Aviary Plans

Resources

• eFinch
• Bird Blog