An elegant long-tailed finch, with an intensely crimson chest, and a cheerfully cherry red face.
Meet the Crimson Finch
Photo courtesy of Graham Winterflood / CC BY-SA 2.0
The crimson finch (Neochmia phaeton) is a relatively small bird, measuring around 13 cm in length, and weighing in at around 13 g (0.46 ounces). The most striking nature of this bird is his bright crimson color coupled with a long tail and white flecks that run across the sides of his body. There are also shades of grey observed around the neck area.
Photo Courtesy of Lip Kee / CC BY-SA 2.0
This is a sexually dimorphic species, though the females are slightly paler in comparison to the males. However, both sexes wear similar plumage, with females having longer bills and tails.
Around three weeks after fledging, Crimson finches molt into adult plumage.
Photo courtesy of Graham Winterflood / CC BY-SA 2.0
These birds are endemic to and found throughout northern Australia as well as parts of southern New Guinea.
Crimson finches prefer to live in areas with tall, dense grass. These areas will typically be found near wetlands with an abundance of suitable trees.
Crimson finches primarily feed on grass seed. However, they have also been known to feed on insects.
This bird’s primary mating system is monogamy, with 4 to 5 breeding pairs per every 100 m. Non- territorial, these birds are happy to breed close to the nests of other birds. They build their nests close to riparian vegetation in rivers. Crimson finches lay quite large clutches of eggs, which is probably due to predation by reptiles.
According to the IUCN Red List, the crimson finch is classified as “least concern.”
You can watch this bird right here in the video below:
