Wednesday 2 October 2013

Red -browed Finch

Once again for my Wednesday post, I am showing you an Australian bird called the Red-browed Finch.  These birds were seen while I was having lunch on the patio at my friend Virginia's home in Queensland.  We had been birding from early morning and no doubt in the future, you will see some more of the birds we came across.  Unfortunately, a lot of the time there were 22 of them in a bush but as you will see on the video we can see them better when they came down on the ground in front of us for some seed.  


The Red-browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis) is an estrildid finch that inhabits the east coast of Australia. This species has also been introduced to French Polynesia for breeding. It is commonly found in temperate forest and dry savanna habitats. It may also be found in dry forest and mangrove habitats in tropical region.  Alternate names include Red-browed Firetail.

The Red-browed Finch is highly sociable, and is usually seen in small flocks of 10 to 20 individuals. Flocks are sedentary or nomadic in their local area. Flocks prefer semi-open woodland, especially edges of forests, where brushy scrub meets cleared areas, especially near creeks.

 This is the view we had during lunch.


Average size:11cm  Average weight:11g

The Red Browed Finch, like other weaver finches, builds a large domed nest, with a side entrance, out of grass and small twigs. Nests are usually built 2–3 meters above the ground in dense shrubs. Nesting is communal. Both parents share nest building, incubation of the eggs, and feed the young together.  4-6 white eggs are laid per clutch 2-3 times per year, between October and April. Juveniles are fully independent within 28 days.


The Red-browed Finch is a seed eater, living mostly on grass and sedge seed, but will happily feed on many non-native seeds.  Wild birds will even enter large-mesh aviaries in suburban areas to eat seed, given the opportunity.



Red Browed Finches are common aviary birds. The Red Browed Finch will sometimes hybridise with the Star Finch, Crimson Finch, and Zebra Finch if kept together in captivity.


Living with us
Its preference for open grassy areas surrounded by dense shrubbery enables the Red-browed Finch to survive well in weedy areas along railway tracks and creek lines, where seeding grasses escape the lawnmower. It may also benefit from bird feeders, provided the seeds are small and larger competitors are excluded.


The Red-browed Finch is one of only a very few small Australian birds that can be attracted to bird feeders.



 Calls are short, high-pitched whistles.


Plants associated with this species are Lantana camara Poa spp.Themeda spp.


 Conservation Status
Federal: Secure
NSW, QLD, SA and VIC - Secure
NT,TAS and WA - Not present






I hope you enjoyed this lovely little bird even 
though the photographs are not so easy to see.

You can access the video at

http://youtu.be/VKCMML2VFM8

If there is a black space below, click it and the video will appear.




I hope you enjoyed this week's Australian bird which I am linking to WBW.

Thank you for visiting.

61 comments:

  1. I loved the finch family; some delightful shots here Margaret

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    1. HI Carole Glad you enjoyed this little finch. Thanks for comment.

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  2. Beautiful Finches, talk about how beautiful, they are superb.

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    1. Hi Bob Glad you enjoyed the beauty of this little finch. Thanks for comment.

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  3. All the finches are feathered enchantment - and this one is no exception. Thank you.

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  4. Hi EC Glad you enjoyed this little finch. Thanks for comment.

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  5. A very attractive finch Margaret. I love those bright red eyebrows!

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    1. Hi Phil Glad you liked the finches. Thanks for comments.

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  6. What bonny little birds. Beautiful they are.

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    1. Hi Adrian. Hi Phil Glad you liked the finches. Thanks for comments.

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  7. Nice to see these colourful little birds Margaret but, hey, that view is to die for, just fantastic, especially when I'm sitting here looking out of the window at a grey, dull and wet day!!...[;o)

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    1. Hi Trevor Yes the view is marvellous. Hi ilGlad you liked the finches. Thanks for comments.

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  8. Those finches are beautiful!!! And the view while having lunch is awesome!!!

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    1. HI Anni Yes, the view was great. Glad you liked the finches. Thanks for comments.

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  9. They have such pretty vibrant colors. I love their red brows!

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    1. HI Karen Glad you liked the finches. Thanks for comments

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  10. How pretty! It's like they are wearing a little red mask :)

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    1. HI Glad you liked the finches in their red masks. Thanks for comments

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  11. Hello Margaret, your finches are adorable. Wonderful photos and video!

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    1. HI Eileen Glad you liked the Finch photos adn video.. Thanks for comments

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  12. These are a delight Margaret! Once upon a time I had a flock visit my garden on Mt.Lofty.
    Thanks for being a true friend and visiting my blog during my tough times.

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    1. HI Aija Glad you liked the finches. Iamsure you miss your finches. Thanks for comments. Hope you are feeling a bit better.

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  13. A really interesting post - what a beautiful finch :) Great video too!

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    1. HI RR Glad you liked the finches in photos, video and in the information. Thanks for comments

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  14. Lunch with a view and those sweet birds to keep your eyes occupied!!

    They must serve good food.....to gather such a crowd!!

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    1. HI Debbie. It was a wonderful day. Glad you liked the finches. Thanks for comments

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  15. What fabulous Finches these are, Margaret! Thank you for sharing them with us.

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    1. HI Richard Glad you liked the finches. Thanks for comments

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  16. They certainly have a lot of colourful birds out there Margaret.

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    1. HI Roy Yes there are more colourful birds in Australia. Glad you liked the finches. Thanks for comments

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  17. This is a new finch to me, and so pretty with the wonderful red markings!!!! And they even make domed nests, wow! I must say that in picture number 4 especially, if you just squint your eyes a little, they all look like fall leaves that have fallen with their bit of red and the way they are scattered!!! What an amazing effect!

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    1. HI Ginny Glad you liked the new finch to you.. Thanks for comments

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  18. I miscounted, the effect is in picture number three!!

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  19. Beautiful Margaret; I think they look like a cartoon version of our Goldfinches!

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  20. My first thought was that they should include his little red bum in the name, but then you said they are sometimes called fire tails so that covers it. We have only gold finch where I live, so this little bird is a real treat to see. Your birds in Australia seem to be so much more colorful. I love this post ... thank you!

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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    1. HI Andrea I live in Northern Ireland but have travelled to Australia many times as I have a daughter who lives there, therefore I have photos from there. Glad you liked the finches. Thanks for comments

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  21. The Red -browed Finch is such a pretty bird! And they live in a lovely world so it's not hard to understand why they like to stay pretty much where they are.

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    1. HI EG would you move anywhere else if you had a view like that!!. Glad you liked the finches. Thanks for comments

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  22. interesting. I saw a similar one in Honolulu. They were very sweet. :)

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    1. Hi Glad you liked the finches adnthe information. Thanks for comments

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  23. Thank you for introducing us to this beautiful little Australian bird. I thought your pictures were very good, and the setting for your lunch is gorgeous.

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    1. HI George Glad you liked the finches and view. Thanks for comments

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  24. Great photos of the little Finches. You certainly had quite a large flock of the birds around you. The ones around here seem to also be in constant motion which makes them harder to photograph.

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    1. HI Mick Yes you are right, these birds are in constant motion. Glad you liked the finches. Thanks for comments

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  25. Cute little birds. The view out over the lake is very beautiful.

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    1. HI Gunilla Yes the lake is very beautiful. Glad you liked these little birds and thanks for comment.

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  26. The view at lunch and the colourful birds must have made for a fantastic time.

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    1. Hi Ruth Yes you are right adn I am glad you enjoyed the birds. Thanks for comment.

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  27. What a beautifully colored bird! Very unusual.

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    1. Hi Mary Glad you enoyed this little finch and thanks for comment.

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  28. I love the color of this little finch! You certainly had a lovely view to watch them and have lunch. A beautiful spot.

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  29. Hi Carletta Glad you enjoyed seeing the finch and thanks for comment.

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  30. Beautiful photos of these beautiful birds, Margaret.
    Pictures are perfectly sharp, well done.
    Also thank you for looking at my other website.
    Thanks for a message in my guestbook.
    Greetings Irma

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    1. HI Irma Many thanks for your comments and very glad you enjoyed these little Finches.

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  31. What charming little ones ...you have such amazing birds!

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    1. HI Sallie These birds I photographed when I went to Australia to see my daughter. I live in N.Ireland. Glad you liked them and thanks for omment.

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  32. Hi there - these are splendid little birds - but they can be hard to photograph - like many finches! I can recalling seeing these for the first time at Wilsons Prom in Victoria, about 10 days after I had arrived in Australia.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

    PS: sorry for slow reply - I have been out of phone / internet range for most of the week - rather nice if the truth be told!

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    1. HI Stewart Glad to ehar from you. I know what you mean when you say it is ood to not have internet access. Sometimes I find the blog too much and yet Ilove doing it. There must be a balance adn I am tryig to find it. glad you have seen these birds and yes they are tricky to photograph. Many thanks for comments.

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