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.