Bonanza Bird #7: The Gouldian Finch, a colorful conundrum

July 13, 2010 in Finches and Birdorable Bonanza 2010 with 4 comments

For 18 days we're adding a new Birdorable bird every day as part of our Birdorable Bonanza 2010. Today's bird is the beautiful Gouldian Finch! The Gouldian Finch is one of the most wildly colored birds on Earth. Native to Australia, this little finch's plumage includes feathers of red, yellow, green and black. The head is either red, black or yellow. Formerly considered three different kinds of finches, we now know that these are actually color variants of the same species that exist in the wild. Yellow is the rarest. Because of their amazing plumage, Gouldian Finches are very popular in aviculture. Since 1959 it has been illegal to export the birds from their native Australia. Still, the species is considered threatened today, mainly due to habitat loss. Other factors contribute to the decline of the species, including easy predation - due to their bright colors. If you'd like to learn about the effort to conserve the Gouldian Finch in Australia, visit Save the Gouldian Fund.

Tomorrow's bird is a brood parasite disliked by many bird lovers in North America. Can you guess what it is?

From Amazon

Four Color Gouldian Finches Birdorable Cartoon Birds T-Shirt

From Amazon

Four Color Gouldian Finches Birdorable Cartoon Birds Long Sleeve T-Shirt

From Zazzle

Gouldian Finch Magnet

From Zazzle

Gouldian Finch Button

Comments

dominic morrell on July 13, 2010 at 10:35 AM wrote:

brown-headed cowbird!

Ashira on July 13, 2010 at 11:57 AM wrote:

It probably is a cowbird. :3 I don't agree with people who hate some birds and love the rest. D: I love seeing cowbirds, sparrows, starlings and jays at my feeders just as much as I love seeing the others. ^____^

Louise Warner on March 17, 2017 at 10:25 AM wrote:

cowbird?

Boris Kapriev on February 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM wrote:

Fun Fact, Black-Faced Gouldian Finches are the most common variant in the wild, representing 75%. Red and yellow variants are pretty rare in the wild. In Captivity however, Red Faced Gouldian Finches are most common.

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