Compact and gracefully built, this tiny bird features a slender frame that distinguishes it from its wax-billed counterparts. Its upper plumage is adorned with a soothing olive-brown hue, while its belly displays a striking blackish coloration marked with charming white spots.
Meet the painted finch:
Photo courtesy of PotMart186/CC BY-SA 4.0
Description: Painted finches (Emblema pictum) are tiny passerines measuring 10 to 12 cm in length and weighing about 11.5 g. Male painted finches display a striking red forehead and face, contrasting with their black chest. The middle of the male’s breast features a bright red spot, while the sides of the breast, belly and flanks are adorned with black feathers with white spots. The upper body and upper wings are reddish brown, while the rump and upper tail coverts are predominantly red, creating a striking appearance in flight. Males possess a thin, pointed beak, characterized by a mostly black upper jaw tipped with red and a mostly red lower jaw adorned with light bluish-gray spots on either side of the base. The iris of males is cream or whitish and the color of their legs varies from dark brown to pink.
Photo courtesy of Jim Bendon/CC BY-SA 2.0
Females look very similar to males, but exhibit a duller red coloration on the face, which is limited to the lores, cheeks and around the eyes. The red patch on the breast is also less vibrant compared to males, as are the duller, generally brownish-black underparts, which feature more pronounced spots. The beak of females is similar to that of males, but usually shows less red on the upper part of the mandible. The iris of females is cream or whitish and their legs can vary from dark brown to pinkish.
Juvenile painted finches share similarities with females, but have duller, brown underparts. They lack the red facial coloration of adults and their beak is black, which gradually becomes paler, almost pinkish, on the underside. Juvenile eyes are usually grayish brown.
“painted finch” by Graham Winterflood is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
These lovely birds can be found in various parts of Australia including Western Australia, Northern Australia, Queensland and South Australia. Notably, in 2007 and 2008, a significant influx of painted finches arrived in western New South Wales, where they have since been observed breeding, suggesting the establishment of a resident population.
“Painted Finch” by PaulBalfe is licensed under CC BY 2.0. (cut)
Painted finches thrive in arid and semi-arid regions, preferring rocky landscapes covered in spinifex grass.
“Painted firetail_2” by Jim Bendon is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Diet: Painted finches are primarily insectivorous and feed predominantly on grass seeds of the species spinifex (Triodia). They may occasionally consume fruits and blades of grass. These finches are ground feeders, jumping and bouncing between rocks and clumps of grass to pick up fallen seeds. While captive birds have been observed attacking flying termites and collecting aphids from vegetation, they have not been widely documented as feeding on insects in the wild.
“painted finch” by Graham Winterflood is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reproduction: Painted finches breed year-round under suitable conditions, with records of egg laying in all months except November and December. Chicks have been observed between March and October. Courtship rituals usually take place on the ground and involve both sexes picking up and dropping twigs or other objects. Alternatively, a greeting display may replace this behavior, characterized by the male singing to the female in an upright posture, raising his body feathers and turning his head from side to side.
Painted finches are monogamous and form single nesting pairs. They often select hidden clumps of spinifex grass as nesting sites. The nests are loosely built and have a wide entrance, consisting mainly of spinifex stems, but may also include other grass stems, twigs or rootlets. The interior of the nest is usually lined with feathers, plant down, furry seeds, grass, wool, hair or fluff balls, and the entrance is sometimes adorned with a piece of charcoal. Female painted finches lay clutches of 3 to
“painted finch” by Kym Nicolson is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
This bird is considered to be of least concern on the IUCN red list.
“painted finch” by Graham Winterflood is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Listen to this bird below in the video below:
