Star Finch

Star Finch

Scientific name: Neochima ruficauda
Family: Estrildidae
Order: Passeriformes
Class: Aves

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

The Star Finch is approximately 12.7 cm in height and 11.43 cm in length. Star Finches are very colorful. The face and beak are red. The throat, neck, and flanks are spotted white. A gray-green to pale olive-green color covers the back, breast, and wings, above the tail and at the sides of the tail. The legs are yellow or may appear to be a flesh brown color. The abdomen, along and below the middle of the tail is also yellow. The eyes are a red-olive to dark brown color. Immature Star Finches are olive-brown above and pale olive below. Mature Star Finches are similar in color but the females tend to be a bit duller than the males and the females have less red on their face.

DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT:

Star Finches originated from Northern Australia. They occur from Shark Bay to Northern New South Wales. They now have spread to the Gulf of Carpentaria, mostly on the western side. They inhabit tropical swamps, rice and sugar-cane fields, dense scrub, woodland, trees, and in tall grasses near water.

BEHAVIOR:

During the breeding season males become territorial around the immediate nesting area. Compared to the Green Singing Finch, the Star Finch has a very cheerful song. Males perform a song and dance during courtship and while they are performing they are holding a grass stem in their bill. The males tend to ruff up the feathers on their head, flanks, and breast and have their tails twisted toward the female. A whole lot of bobbing is done during courtship and the males tend to sit close to the females to peer into her face. The male and female incubate the eggs for about fourteen days.

DIET:

When feeding, they tend to avoid landing on the ground preferring to grasp onto the seed heads of grasses. Star finches show aggression by throwing their young out of the nest when the fledglings refuse to eat the food given to them. Their diet includes white ants, half-ripe and ripe grass seeds, fruit culture flies, and during the breeding season they prefer to eat seeds, rich varieties of insects, and greens. In captivity finches will feed on hard cooked chopped eggs, spray millet, soaked seed, mature legumes, grated cheese, cooked rice, a variety of fresh fruits, chopped dark greens or fresh fortified canary seed.

REPRODUCTION and GROWTH:

They reach sexual maturity 12 months after hatching and can reproduce for up to five years. When in captivity they can produce three broods per year. The females lay three to six pure white eggs. The fledglings color is a pale green on the under side, a dull green on the topside and dull gray on the tail. When the fledglings are 10-12 days old they begin to have their fist set of feathers. When they reach 21 days old they leave the nest for the first time but are still dependent on their parents. Thirty-five to forty-two days after hatching they will become fully independent.

CONSERVATION STATUS:

The status of the Star Finch is questionable because in some areas of Northern Australia the numbers are decreasing and in other areas of Northern Australia they are increasing. Star Finches are common in the pet bird trade.