Long-tailed finch

The Long-tailed Finch (Poephila acuticauda) is a common species of estrildid finch found in Australia; also known as the Blackheart Finch, Shaft-tail Finch, Heck’s Grassfinch, Heck’s Grass Finch, and Heck’s Finch. It is a predominantly fawn-coloured bird with a pale grey head and prominent black bib and eyes. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 1,000,000–10,000,000 km². It inhabits dry savanna habitats in Australia. The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern, and adapts readily to aviculture.

The adult Long-tailed Finch is around 15 cm (6 in) in length. It has a prominent roundish black bib on its throat and upper chest and a long pointed black tail. It has pinkish brown upperparts with paler plumage below its bib over the lower breast and abdomen. The beak colour of the adult Long-tailed Finch varies from red through orange to yellow.

The Long Tailed Finch inhabits open woodland across northern Australia, from Derby east to the Leichhardt River in northern Queensland.

Male Long Tailed Finches approach unfamiliar members of the species and engage in a courtship display, holding themselves in an upright posture and singing, before attempting to mate with the newcomer. Male newcomers will sometimes not declare their sex when confronted by a group of birds. The authors of the study propose this is a survival mechanism to reduce harassment, increase chances of acceptance into the group and hence chances of future reproduction.

Copyright © by Dominika Anioła


Facebook  Twitter  Instagram  500px
RedBubble Photo  RedBubble DigitalArt  Curioos
Check out my website: www.dominika-aniola.pl/