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- Neochmia phaeton
Identification
12-14cm
Male
- Grey above
- Black belly and undertail coverts
- Grey crown and nape
- White spots on flank
- Black bill
Female
- Crimson with a brown olive wash
- Buff centre belly
Juvenile Duller than female
Distribution
Southeast Asia: found in Indonesia
Australasia: Papua New Guinea, Australia: Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia and Melanesia
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]:
- N. p. evangelinae:
- Southern New Guinea and northern Australia (Cape York Peninsula)
- N. p. phaeton:
- Northern Australia (King Sound to north-western Queensland; northern and east-central Queensland)
A third subspecies albiventer is generally considered invalid[2].
Habitat
Watercourses, tall grass, and cane fields.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes grass and other plant seeds, some termites.
Breeding
It builds a bottle shaped nest from dried grasses, bark, and leaves, lined with grass and feathers or fur. 5-8 white eggs are laid and are incubated for 14 days by both parents. The young fledge after about 21 days.
Vocalisation
Call: Claa; tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Avibase
- Birddealer
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Crimson Finch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Crimson_Finch
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
