Gouldian Finch |
Gouldian Finch - Interesting Facts About Colorful Bird
Gouldian Finch is also known as the rainbow bird and it is a very beautiful bird to look at. Gouldian Finch is a colorful member of the kingdom which is a very cute bird to look at.
Gouldian Finch is beautiful in appearance and also has a gentle and cheerful nature. Not only this, these birds are very friendly in their own way. Keep reading for interesting facts and information about Gouldian Finch.
Where Are Gouldian Finch Found
Gouldian Finch, these beautiful birds can be seen in the geographical areas of Australia. These beautiful birds are found in the Kimberley region of Northern and Western Australia and extend to the east of the state of Queensland in Australia. This beautiful Australian bird is endemic to the northern part of the country.
Apart from this, this bird can be seen in tropical savannahs, scrub or grasslands and far-flung woodlands with water. While Gouldian Finches are not migratory birds, they travel a lot during the dry season in search of food and water. Beautiful, colorful and small in size, Gouldian Finches certainly look cute and are a mesmerizing sight to watch.
Scientific Name Of Gouldian Finch
The scientific name of Gouldian Finch is Erythrura gouldiae and these birds are small sized beautiful birds with a mixture of colorful colors. Therefore, these small and beautiful birds are also called the rainbow of the bird family.
The interesting fact about this bird is that British ornithologist John Gould officially gave his name to this bird in 1844 in honor of his wife Elizabeth. Apart from this, many people consider John Gould as the father of bird studies in Australia.
Later these beautiful birds were identified as Lady Gouldian Finch. Gouldian Finch birds are also known as Rainbow Finch or Gould. The word Gould was used with the person who first identified these attractive and beautiful birds is John Gould.
The fun fact is that no distinction has been made in naming the members of this bird species based on the sex of these birds. The male birds are called male Gouldian Finch while the females are known as female Gouldian Finch.
Habitat Of Gouldian Finch
Talking about the habitat of Gouldian Finch, this bird is a common inhabitant of grasslands with eucalyptus trees. Apart from this, black-headed Gouldian Finch is known to live within the proximity of water bodies.
Gouldian Finches are bird species with social nature. And these birds like to form flocks with sometimes more than 1000 birds. Gouldian Finch, also known as Lady Gouldian Finch, Gould's Finch and also Rainbow Birds, is considered to be one of the most attractive birds of Australia.
In fact, this beautiful bird is considered to be the gem of the nation and Gouldian Finch, also known as Lady Gouldian Finch. There are different types of species of Gouldian Finch. Their species are classified on the basis of their colors such as red-headed Gouldian Finch, yellow-headed Gouldian Finch and black-headed Gouldian Finch.
What Does A Gouldian Finch Look Like
The most attractive morphological aspect of these beautiful birds is their remarkable color. These beautiful birds are found in yellow, red, black or mixed colors. The back and wings of Gouldian finches are purple in appearance, while yellow color can be seen along their belly. Apart from this, the yellow color of the belly is towards the bottom.
In this bird species, the female bird has a purple color on the breast and a yellow color, while the male birds have purple color on the breast feathers. Gouldian finches are small and beautiful birds that are about 5.5 inches long. There are three different varieties of Gouldian finches that can be distinguished by color. 70-80% of Gouldian finches have a black face and 20-30% of the species have a red face. Read- Monkey Fun Information That You May Not Read Before
Gouldian Finch |
What Do Gouldian Finch Eat
Gouldian finches eat different types of seeds in their food, of which sorghum seeds are eaten the most. Gouldian Finches feed primarily on grass seeds. While occasionally these beautiful birds are fed foods like millet, various types of vegetables and seeds.
Fun fact about these birds is that Gouldian Finches have a specially designed beak that helps in breaking the seed shell. On a normal day a Gouldian Finch eats up to 35% of its body weight in seeds. Most of the diet of these birds consists of various grass seeds.
Height And Weight Of Gouldian Finch
These beautiful birds are quite lightweight. The average height of a Gouldian Finch is about 5.5-6 inches and the average weight of a Gouldian Finch is about 14 grams.
How Gouldian Finch Communicate
Gouldian Finches are mostly not noisy and only the male Gouldian Finches are known to satisfy songbirds in Australia. Like other birds, this bird is not known to have a distinctive singing or complex songs.
Gouldian Finches make a high-pitched “ssitt” sound with a slow sound. Apart from this, these birds have also been recorded making different trills, chirps. This bird species is considered to be one of the least likely to produce sounds.
How Fast Can Gouldian Finch fly
These colorful and beautiful birds are known to be excellent fliers, but there is no official information available about how fast these birds can fly.
Gouldian Finch Nests
The breeding season for these colorful birds begins with the initiation of interesting courtship by the male bird and the breeding season mostly begins when food is available in abundance in the vicinity. It is mostly observed that the male birds put on an entertaining show during mating rituals from December to April.
While performing the entertaining show, these birds show off their bright colors by ruffling their feathers, bobbing their heads and wiping their beaks. The male bird can be seen keeping his tail upright and expanding his bright purple chest. The female bird then responds by wiping her beak.
Gouldian finches are monogamous birds meaning these birds mate for life. The female bird lays about four to eight eggs and then both the male and female birds incubate the eggs together for a maximum period of about 13-15 days.
Gouldian finches are known to build nests in trees to protect their eggs from predators. The babies of these birds get their feathers within a period of about a month after their birth and later leave the nest. Read- Snowy owl Special Feature Of That You May Not Know
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How Many Gouldian finch Are Left In The World
According to the data available on the population of these birds at present, there are about 2400-2500 Gouldian finches left in the whole world. Rainbow finches are listed in the category of Near Threatened as the population of these birds is constantly declining.
With a total population of about 2500 of these birds in the wild, according to the IUCN Red List, they are classified as a threatened species. Apart from this, according to the Australian Government's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, this bird species is classified as endangered.
All the species of these birds found, such as the red-headed Gouldian finch, black-headed Gouldian finch and yellow-headed Gouldian finch are currently facing a crisis. These beautiful birds are considered endangered in Australia, with an estimated national wild population of about 2,500 birds.
The best part is that the Australian Wildlife Conservancy protects some of the large remaining populations and also conducts research on ways to improve the numbers of these birds. Some of the main threats faced by these birds today are forest fires during the late dry season and these issues affect the availability of their main grass seeds.
How Long Do Gouldian Finch Live
The average life span of Gouldian Finches is about 4 to 5 years in the wild and under good conditions, these birds can live for about 8 to 9 years.
Behavior Of Gouldian Finch
Gouldian Finches are colorful and beautiful birds with a gentle and cheerful nature. Gouldian Finches are extremely sociable birds in their own way but are initially shy of humans and other birds. But due to the cheerful and friendly nature of these birds, they eventually become friendly.
Gouldian Finches are a wonderful pet bird. In fact they are considered to be the most beautiful and attractive of all pet bird species. With the pleasant chirping sound and gentle nature of these birds, the birds make great pets.
Gouldian Finch Facts For Kids
1. How rare are Gouldian Finches?
According to the data available on the population of these birds at the present time, there are about 2400-2500 Gouldian Finches in the world. Apart from this, the Rainbow Finch is listed in the category of Near Threatened as the population of these birds is constantly declining.
2. How long do Gouldian Finches live?
The life span of Gouldian Finches is about 4 to 5 years in the wild and under good conditions, these birds can live for about 8 to 9 years.
3. Are Gouldian Finches noisy?
Gouldian Finches do not make much noise and only the male Gouldian Finches in their species are known to satisfy songbirds in Australia.
4. Do Gouldian Finches breed easily?
The male Gouldian Finches put on an entertaining show during mating rituals from December to April. These beautiful birds show off their bright colors by ruffling their feathers, bobbing their heads, and wiping their beaks.
5. What does a Gouldian Finch eat?
On a typical day, a Gouldian Finch eats seeds, about 35% of its body weight. The diet of these birds mostly consists of seeds from various types of grasses.
6. Do Gouldians mate for life?
These colorful birds are monogamous which means they mate for life. The female lays about four to eight eggs in her nest. After that both the male and female incubate the eggs together for a period of about 13-15 days.
7. At what age do Gouldian finches breed?
Gouldian finches are more likely to successfully rear themselves and suffer less from diseases at the age of 24 months.
8. Can Gouldian finches eat fruits?
These birds have specially designed beaks that help break the shell of seeds and also have a little fruit in vegetables.
9. What is the best seed for Gouldian finches?
The diet of Gouldian finches includes a variety of seeds but these birds eat sorghum seeds the most.
10. How long does it take for Gouldian eggs to hatch?
The female bird lays about four to eight eggs in her nest. The male and female birds incubate the eggs together for a maximum period of about 13-15 days.