Part of the difficulty in naming birds is telling them apart. The hybrid Spice/Society is easy to spot, and I can pick out the new Society finches from Earl Grey, Darjeeling and Goober. But Spice finches look alike, even males and females, and while those scalloped-edged breast feathers have quite a bit of variation to them, I don't have a good enough eye to tell one from another.

I have two things going for me, but they both may be temporary. Three of the new Finsters came with open leg bands. Bird breeders use these to differentiate between different birds. They're split, so with the use of a special pliers you can slip them onto an adult bird's leg (closed leg bands are slipped over a teeny tiny baby bird's foot, and are used to prove a bird has been bred in a certain country, and not illegally stolen from the wild). The thing about split rings is that they can come off. In fact, Frank and Sally arrived with leg bands, but they disappeared after a few months. Still, for now one Spice finch has a blue band, another has a bright pink band, and the female Society has one on each leg, white and pink.

The other clue to the bird's identities is that the new guys all arrived with various amounts of plucked feathers. Now, plucked feathers are usually a sign of stress, which just goes to show that even the Amazing Outdoor Aviary, where all these birds spent their summer, must have had hidden stresses inside, like pesky breezes, too many places to get lost in, overpriced coffee, and that sort of thing. While there may be permanent feather damage, the feathers might grow back if the birds decide the Finsterium is a nice place — although I must say, some of the new guys are very zealous about preening each other. Only time will tell.

So, along with trying to sort out all their songs, and who is who, I've got a list of name possibilities going. Thérèse refuses to let me call one of them Peppercorn Mélènge, figuring that the Mélènge part would just get it beat up all the time. Along the same lines, Bruce won't let me call the crowing Society male Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, even though I think it really suits him.

Tea-colored Society Finch
Assam
Oolong
English Breakfast
PG Tips
Salada

Chocolate-colored Society Finch
Ovaltine
Ghirardelli
Callebaut
Dutch Cocoa
Lindt

Society/Spice hybrid
Ginger
Hot Toddy
Chai

Spice Finches
Peppercorn
Wasabi
Szechwan Pepper
Vanilla
Cinnamon
Cardamom
Turmeric
Paprika
Cumin
Anise
Allspice
Mustard Seed