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Neochmia ruficauda
The star finch (eastern subspecies) is a small predominantly olive coloured bird with a red face. The chest and flanks are olive coloured with coarse white spotting and the abdomen is dull yellow. The tail is reddish-olive with some white spotting on the rump. The bill is red in colour, the eye is black and the legs are dull yellow. In this subspecies of star finch both the male and female are alike. Juveniles are paler with a black bill. Its body length can range from 10-12 cm.
Grassland
They are very apt at feeding amongst tall grasses but will descend to the ground to take fallen seeds. They eat seeds of grasses and invertebrates such as termites and other small insects. The finches build domed nests in patches of rank grass, reeds or low in trees, usually near water. They nest once, sometimes twice each year, laying four to six eggs.
Spotted on Nov 13, 2018
Submitted on Nov 20, 2018
7 Comments
A belated congratulations on SOTD. Great set of images. Nature never ceases to amaze in the colours and patterns it creates.
Thanks for your comments on this spotting
Congratulations Mark. I love the angle you got on that first shot, you must have been flat out! :)
Amazing series Mac,beautiful,congrats on the well deserved SOTD,thanks for sharing and welcome you back :-)
Nice to see you and your spottings back Mac! This stunning Star Finch series is our Spotting of the Day:
"What a striking pattern of colors and markings on this Star Finch (Neochmia ruficauda), our Spotting of the Day! Endemic to northern Australia, the star finch is highly distinctive with its bright red face and bill and contrasting white spots. The star finch is not a true finch (family Fringillidae), but belongs to the family Estrildidae, a group of small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia which is thought to have originated around India. While at species level the star finch is currently not considered endangered, its grassland habitat is under threat from overgrazing. The subspecies N. r. ruficauda is considered dangerously close to extinction or possibly already extinct".
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Fantastic series.
What a beautiful animal. Look at that face. Wonderful :)