Gouldian Finch

Chloebia gouldiae

Head color is genetically determined, red or black or yellow, and the variants flock together by face.

Population: 5,000–50,000 mature individuals (best estimate ~25,000); population trend currently stable
Habitat: Open tropical savanna woodland with a grassy understorey, rocky escarpment/hill country with eucalyptus, and mangrove/thicket edges; almost always near permanent waterholes; nests almost exclusively in tree hollows (occasionally termite mounds)
Fun fact: Gouldian Finches occur in three naturally occurring head-colour morphs (black ~75%, red ~25%, and rare yellow) within the same population, and females have been shown to selectively bias offspring sex ratio and mate choice around head colour to avoid genetically incompatible black×red pairings.
Range: Northern Australia: Kimberley region of Western Australia, Northern Territory, and Cape York Peninsula/northern Queensland (Einasleigh Uplands eastward); non-breeding vagrants recorded up to 1,000 km south of the normal range; not migratory but locally nomadic between wet- and dry-season ranges
Diet: Mostly grass seeds year-round (e.g. sorghum and spear grass in breeding season, spinifex in the wet season), switching to almost entirely insects during breeding to provision protein-hungry chicks
Size: 0.14 m
Lifespan: 6 years

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