Appearance
Both sexes are brightly colored with black, green, yellow, and red markings. The females tend to be less brightly colored. One major difference between the sexes is that the male's chest is purple, while the female's is a lighter mauve.Gouldian Finches are about 130–140 mm long. Gouldian Finches' heads may be red, black, or yellow. Formerly considered three different kinds of finches, it is now known that these are colour variants that exist in the wild. Selective breeding has also developed mutations in both body and breast color.
Juveniles also have distinctive colors. Their heads, sides and necks are grey, and their backs, wings and tail feathers are olive green. Their undersides are pale brown. Beaks are blackish with a reddish tip. Their legs and feet are light brown. Newly-hatched Gouldian Finches are pink and naked until about 12 days old when the beginnings of feathers start to appear. Very young birds also have blue, phosphorescent beads on the sides of their beaks to help their parents see them in the dark.
Distribution
These birds are found in northern Australia, from the Cape York Peninsula through north-west Queensland and the northern Northern Territory to the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Their habitat is tropical savanna woodlands. The birds are nomadic within a relatively small area and only move when water or food becomes scarce. The largest known wild population of the species is found in the Bastion Hills, next to the town of Wyndham in the eastern Kimberley, where a 28 km2 site – the Wyndham Important Bird Area – has been identified by BirdLife International.Prior to the Australian government's ban on the export of Australian fauna in 1959, Gouldian Finches were exported worldwide. These birds have resulted in viable breeding populations being held in many countries.
Captive breeding has resulted in a number of colour mutations being established. These include blue-back, pastel, silver, yellow-back, white-breasted, and even pure white specimens.
Status
The number of Gouldian Finches has decreased quite dramatically during the 20th century. Their habitat has been reduced or altered. Early research indicated a parasite called the air sac mite was responsible for the decline of the species. This is no longer considered to be a major factor. In general, Gouldian Finches are susceptible to diseases and viral infections. Their beautiful colours mean that they are easily caught by predators. Fires are listed as the primary threat to the natural populations. The total number of Gouldian Finches altogether is not low, however, because they are among the most popular pet birds, and are bred in captivity for the pet trade.Recovery plans are in place to recover and conserve its natural habitats, such as building protective fencing to prevent damage by cattle. Attempts at reintroduction have so far proved unsuccessful. It was also suggested to develop management guidelines for land-holders about appropriate land management, promoting the recovery program, and Gouldian Finch conservation.
Behavior
Although often bred in a colony in captivity, in the wild, the Gouldian is not a colony bird. Outside the breeding season, however, Gouldian Finches often join mixed flocks consisting of Long-tailed Finches and Masked Finches. This is probably a defense against predation. Flocks used to consist of up to 1,000–2,000 individuals. During the breeding season they are usually found on rough scree slopes where vegetation is sparse. In the dry season, they are more nomadic and will move to wherever there is food and water.
Habitat
These birds are found in northern Australia, from the Cape York Peninsula through north-west Queensland and the northern Northern Territory to the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Their habitat is tropical savanna woodlands. The birds are nomadic within a relatively small area and only move when water or food becomes scarce. The largest known wild population of the species is found in the Bastion Hills, next to the town of Wyndham in the eastern Kimberley, where a 28 km2 site – the Wyndham Important Bird Area – has been identified by BirdLife International.Prior to the Australian government's ban on the export of Australian fauna in 1959, Gouldian Finches were exported worldwide. These birds have resulted in viable breeding populations being held in many countries.
Captive breeding has resulted in a number of colour mutations being established. These include blue-back, pastel, silver, yellow-back, white-breasted, and even pure white specimens.
Reproduction
Gouldian finches generally make their nests in tree-holes, generally within a kilometer or so of water. They usually breed in the early part of the dry season, when there is plenty of food around. The male courtship dance is a fascinating spectacle. When a male is courting a female, he bobs about ruffling his feathers to show off his colors. He expands his chest and fluffs out his forehead feathers. After mating, a female lays a clutch of about 4–8 eggs. Both parents help brood the eggs during the daytime, and the female stays on the eggs at night. When the eggs hatch, both parents help care for the young. Gouldian Finches leave the nest at between 19 and 23 days and are independent at 40 days old.Gouldian finches have brightly coloured gapes and call loudly when the parent birds return so that they are able to find and feed their mouths in the dark nest.
Young Gouldians are very fragile until their final moult. Some breeders believe parent-raised Gouldians have greater success rearing young than those fostered by other species, such as Society finches or Spice Finches.
It has been shown scientifically that female finches from Northern Australia are controlling the sex of their offspring, according to the head color of their male counterpart.The finding, published in the journal Science, is one of the first to clearly show that birds are capable of biasing the sex of their offspring to overcome genetic weaknesses. Lead author Dr Sarah Pryke, of the Department of Brain Behaviour and Evolution at Macquarie University in Sydney, admits the mechanism by which the birds do this is not yet known.
The endangered Gouldian finch , which is found in the northern savannahs of Australia, can have either black or red heads. Pryke says some genetic incompatibility between the black and red-headed birds results in high mortality in the offspring when birds of different head colours mate. With female offspring this mortality rate can be as much as 80% higher than in a same-head colour pairing. Sons in a mixed pairing have a 40% mortality rate. Pryke found that if the female mates with a finch of different head colour, she attempts to overcome this genetic incompatibility by over-producing sons - as much as four males to one female. "This is the first time such a large effect has been shown," says Pryke. "It is actually the female that is controlling the gender." To reach this conclusion Pryke and colleague Simon Griffith took 100 red-headed and 100 black-headed female birds and mated them with a male of the same head colour and a male with the different head colour. They found females in mixed pairs produced broods that were 82.1% male, whereas females in matched pairs produced an unbiased sex ratio with 45.9% males. They then tested whether the females in mixed pairs were deliberately over-producing sons. In captivity the female finches often need worming, this is a common thing with all female finches. Female birds were tricked into thinking they were mating with an incompatible male. The researchers did this by temporarily blackening the head colour of red males and mating them with red and black-headed females. The black females paired to red males with blackened heads produced a sex ratio that was roughly equal. By contrast, red females paired with red males that had blackened heads over-produced sons at a ratio similar to a mixed pairing. Pryke says there is no chemical or genetic interaction between the parents at work. "Gouldian finches wear their genes on their head so it is easy for a female to assess the genetic suitability of the male," she says. "Change the colour of the male's head with dye and the sex ratio changes." Through the study the researchers also found that females from mixed pairs produced fewer and smaller eggs. Pryke says the finding is important because up to 30% of breeding pairs in the wild are mixed "perhaps because of constraints on preferred mate availability".
Professor Ben Sheldon, director of the University of Oxford's Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, says the results demonstrate "hitherto unsuspected degrees of control over reproductive investment by female birds". "This work opens new possibilities in unravelling the mechanisms behind these striking behaviours, something which has up to now remained an unsolved mystery," he says.
Food
Like other finches, the Gouldian Finch is a seed eater. During the breeding season, Gouldian Finches feed mostly on ripe or half-ripe grass seeds of sorghum. During the dry season, they forage on the ground for fallen seed. During the wet season, spinifex grass seed is an important component of their diet. So far Gouldians have been recorded as consuming six different species of grass seed, but during crop analysis, researchers have yet to find evidence of insect consumption.Cultural
They need premium finch food, fresh water every day, gravel, a cuttlebone, perches, vitamins . They especially need vitamins in their soft food. Water should be changed every day. Gravel should be replaced once a month and whole cage should be cleaned and disinfected. The Gouldian finch can be difficult to breed outside its native climate of Australia but does well when given the right conditions. Grit and cuttlebone are an important component of a finch's diet.Many mutations occur in aviculture, including yellow, dilute, blue, pastel, silver, white and even albino Gouldian Finches.
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