Crimson FinchCrimson Finch – water
The Crimson Finch (Neochmia phaeton), one of the estrildid finches (from the family Estrildidae), is found in the northern Australia and New Guinea. The species are long-tailed and sexually dimorphic in their plumage.
Whilst they both have crimson face, throat patch, tail and rump, the male of the species have crimson chest, sides and flanks. They have a brown-grey crown and nape (the back of the bird’s neck), brownish-crimson back, and small pale white spots on the side of the chest. They have dark grey flight feathers. Their bill is bright ruby-red, with the eyes varying from red to brown and the legs and feet are pink-grey in colour.
The female are duller in colour, with the crimson face. They have a brown-grey crown, nape, breast and flanks (white spots on the flank) and an off-white belly. The juveniles are mostly brownish with dark bill and have a crimson tinge to the upperwings and a dull-red tail. The bill is dark brown or grey, and the eyes are dark brown.
There are two subspecies: the nominate black-bellied in Western Australia and Northern Territory, parts of the top end of Queensland and the white-bellied neochmia phaeton evangelinae in Cape York in North Queensland and West Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
Common name
Crimson Finch, Blood Finch, Killer Finch, Black-bellied Crimson Finch (Neochmia p. phaeton), White-bellied Crimson Finch (Neochmia p. evangelinae).
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves
- Order: Passeriformes
- Family: Estrildidae
- Genus: Neochmia
- Species: N. phaeton
- Binomial name: Neochmia phaeton
- Synonyms: Fringilla phaeton
Footnote & References
- Crimson finch, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_finch (last visited Sept. 17, 2021).
- Crimson Finch, mdahlem.net, https://www.mdahlem.net/birds/24/crfinch.php
- Crimson Finch, BirdLife Australia, https://www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/crimson-finch
Crimson FinchCrimson Finch – water
FinchesBeautiful Firetail Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Crimson Finch Diamond Firetail Double-barred Finch European Greenfinch European Goldfinch Gouldian Finch Long-tailed Finch Masked Finch Painted Finch Scaly-breasted Munia Zebra Finch