Gouldian Finch (juveniles)

Description:

This is a spotting of Gouldian Finches in the wild! These beautiful Finches are endemic to Australia. According to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act - Gouldian Finches are listed as Endangered - (http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sp... ) "Juveniles also have distinctive colours. Their heads, sides and necks are grey, and their backs, wings and tail feathers are olive green. Their undersides are pale brown. Beaks are blackish with a reddish tip. Their legs and feet are light brown." (Wiki) The adults, however, are brightly coloured (black-headed males in both pics and spotting: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/516... and female spotting: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/588... and red-headed male spotting: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/900...

Habitat:

A little flock of Gouldians had come in for a drink at a small waterhole at the base of a small cliff in the early morning. They had been joined by a variety of other birdlife: Double-barred Finches: Taeniopygia bichenovii annulosa (see pic 2), Brown Honeyeater: Lichmera indistincta indistincta (see pic 2), Long-tailed Finches - Poephila acuticauda acuticauda, and Diamond Doves - Geopelia cuneata, just to name a few. "It is currently known to occur in significant numbers (> 50 adult birds) at only 10 locations, including five in Western Australia [one being here at the Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary]; and five in the Northern Territory." (http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sp... )

Notes:

First time seeing a wild Gouldian Finch! Check out these little videos of some juveniles with a couple of black-headed males and a female: https://youtu.be/_jB9C3MM5WM, and some juveniles with a red-headed male and some females: https://youtu.be/3kgkO0uR3D0 I was so excited because a little flock had come in for a drink. It was a mixed flock with black-headed females, juveniles, and a red-headed male!!! If a red-head breeds with another red-head, the young will be red-heads. However, if a red-head breeds with a black-head, there is a 1 in 4 chance of a red-head (Mornington tour guide) - hence them making up 25% of the population. Baby Gouldian Finches have a nest in hollow bearing trees. The entrance is long which opens into a cavity where the nest is. They must have complete darkness. The only way the adults can see where the young are to feed them is by the UV patch near their beaks. Once the young fledge and begin to moult into their juvenile plumage, they lose this UV patch. (Mornington tour guide) Gouldian Finches a predominantly grass seed eaters, except during the breeding season when they feed on insects. "AWC [Australian Wildlife Conservancy] protects one of the largest remaining populations of the Gouldian Finch at Mornington-Marion Downs, as well as smaller populations at the Artesian Range, Wongalara, Pungalina and possibly Brooklyn. We deliver effective conservation for the Gouldian Finch by implementing effective fire management (prescribed burning) and by removing feral herbivores. In addition, our field ecologists are undertaking vitally important research which has helped identify what needs to be done to reverse the decline in Gouldian Finches." - See more at: http://www.australianwildlife.org/wildli... Mornington-Marion Downs is a stronghold for many species that are rapidly disappearing elsewhere across northern Australia." (AWC) This also includes the Purple-crowned Fairy-wren (western) - Malurus coronatus coronatus (see this spotting: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/502... ) which is also listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act (see spreadsheet from this link: https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/plants-and-an... )