Erythrura gouldiae
Gouldian Finches are Australia's most spectacularly coloured grassfinches, and are perhaps the most spectacularly coloured of all Australian birds. They are small birds, measuring just 11 to 14 cm. They have a bright green back, yellow belly and a purple breast. The facial colour is usually black, and is found in about 75% of the birds. Red-faced forms make up about 25% of the population, and rare, yellow-faced birds occur from time to time. The yellow colour results from a lack of red pigment in the red-faced birds. The males are brighter in plumage than the females.
Young Gouldian Finches are dull ashy grey on the head and hind neck, becoming olive on the back and tail. The underparts are brown white, paler on chin, and have a faint yellow tinge on the belly. The upper bill is blackish and the lower bill is pinkish white. The end of the beak is tipped with red and there are pale nodules on the gape.
The Gouldian Finch is mostly silent, although a high-pitched whistling "ssitt", may be uttered from time to time.
Unfortunately, its bright colouration has lead to the Gouldian Finch being a target for the illegal bird trade. This illegal trapping, along with other factors such as alteration of habitat, predation, the effects of fire and the susceptibility of the species to the parasitic air-sac mite, Sternastoma tracheacolum, has reduced its numbers alarmingly. Its distribution is now patchy through tropical northern subcoastal areas from Derby, WA, to the Gulf of Carpenteria and thinly to central Cape York Peninsula. In the north and north-western parts of its range, birds are locally common. Gouldian Finches are only found in Australia.
Outside of the breeding season the Gouldian Finch is partly migratory. Birds move in quite large flocks to more coastal areas and return back inland to breed when the rainy season arrives. As with most other grassfinch species, the Gouldian Finch is seldom found far from water, and needs to drink several times during the day. Throughout its range the species inhabits the edges of mangroves and thickets, and savannas dotted with trees.
For most of the year Gouldian Finches feed mostly on ripe or half-ripe grass seeds. During the breeding, however, the diet consists almost entirely on insects. Insects are rich in protein and help satisfy the demanding appetite of the young birds. Birds feed in small to large groups, and food may be taken on the ground or in flight.
The Gouldian Finch breeds in small social colonies, with breeding normally taking place from January to April. It is the only grassfinch that nests exclusively in tree hollows or holes in termite mounds. Several pairs may share a single hollow. (Rarely, birds will construct a dry grass nest in a bush or tree).
Two or three broods may be reared in a season, with both parents sharing incubating and brooding duties. Four to eight white eggs are laid in each clutch. The young birds hatch after 12 to 13 days and leave the nest after a further three weeks.
Copyright © Australian Museum, 2003
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