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Australian Wildlife

  Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae)





Gouldian Finch | Erythrura gouldiae photo
Miller Park Zoo - Bloomington, Illinois

Image by tlindenbaum / Tim - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)

Gouldian Finch | Erythrura gouldiae photo
Miller Park Zoo - Bloomington, Illinois

Image by tlindenbaum / Tim - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)







GOULDIAN FINCH FACTS

Description
The Gouldian Finch is a beautiful finch with a bright green back, yellow belly and a purple breast. Most birds have a black face, but about 25% have red faces, and yellow-faced forms are rare. The males are brighter colours than the females. Juveniles are grey on the head and neck, and olive on the back and tail. The underparts are pale brownish white.

Other Names
Gould's Finch

Size
13cm - 14cm

Habitat
found near water on treed grassland and edges of mangroves

Food
eats grass seeds. During the breeding season it eats mainly insects.

Breeding
The Gouldian Finch usually nests in tree hollows or holes in termite mounds. Four to eight eggs are laid.

Range
tropical northern sub-coastal areas from Derby, Western Australia, to the Gulf of Carpentaria and central Cape York Peninsula

distribution map showing range of Erythrura gouldiae in Australia

Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Conservation Status
The conservation status in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals is "endangered".

Classification
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Estrildidae
Genus:Erythrura
Species:gouldiae
Common Name:Gouldian Finch

Relatives in same Genus
  Blue-faced Parrot-Finch (E. trichroa)