Authorities Cracking Down on Finch Fighting

By Corey • March 9, 2010 • 4 comments

USA Today has a short article on the practice of finch fighting, which apparently is becoming more popular in the United States. The sickos that participate usually use Saffron Finches Sicalis flaveola because the males are extremely aggressive when it comes to wooing a female. How does it work?

In the wild, they don’t fight to kill: The losing finch can escape.
But in tight-quarters matches, two males are placed in a segmented cage with a female to bring them to a frenzied state. The separation barrier is removed, and fighting continues until one bird is dead or mortally wounded.
Many of the seized finches’ beaks had been filed to razor sharpness.

Recent arrests and bird seizures in Massachusetts and Connecticut are likely only the tip of the iceberg. Is there any limit to how low humans will go for entertainment?

Tags: Asides

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About the Author

Corey

Corey is a New Yorker who has lived most of his life upstate but has spent the last three years in Queens. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy, their son, Desmond Shearwater, and their two indoor cats, Hunter and B.B.

4 Responses to “Authorities Cracking Down on Finch Fighting”

John Mar 10th, 2010 at 1:19 am
The idea of finch fights is really disgusting.
frigate Mar 10th, 2010 at 9:07 am
This is reminiscent of cock-fighting. Just another species to fall victim of our cruel idea of sport.
TGIQ Mar 10th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
That’s awful. It’s one thing to witness intraspecific battles in nature, it’s an entirely different (and evil) thing to pit animals (dogs, birds, whatever) against each other for our own “entertainment”.
Jochen Mar 12th, 2010 at 6:08 am
No, Corey, there isn’t a limit.

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