This brightly colored bird is unmistakable with its fur of various vivid greens, yellows, purples and blues.
Meet the rainbow finch
Photo Courtesy of Laura Wolf/CC BY 2.0
The Gouldian finch (Chloebia gouldiae), also known as the Lady Gouldian finch, Gouldian finch or rainbow finch, is a colorful passerine bird endemic to Australia.
Photo Courtesy of Shiva Shenoy/CC BY 2.0
Although brightly colored, females tend to be less brightly colored compared to males.
Juveniles are as distinctive as their parents: the head, sides and neck are grey, with the back, wings and tail feathers olive green.
Photo Courtesy of Jürgen Schiller García derivative work: Snowmanradio / CC BY 2.0
These impressive little birds are endemic to northern Australia, with reports scattered from the Cape York Peninsula to north-west Queensland and the Northern Territory to the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Photo Courtesy of Laurie Boyle/CC BY-SA 2.0
Additionally, it is a popular caged bird, when in the wild the rainbow finch gathers in large flocks of up to 1,000 to 2,000 birds, possibly to protect itself against predation.
Photo Courtesy of Cayobo / CC BY 2.0
Like other members of their species, these finches feed on seeds.
Photo Courtesy of Laurie Boyle/CC BY 2.0
Rainbow finches reach reproductive maturity just before turning one year old.
Photo Courtesy of Shiva Shenoy / CC BY 2.0
Until 1977, this finch was captured in greater numbers than any other finch, mainly for the caged bird trade.
Photo Courtesy of Bernard Spragg. NZ/Public domain
This has resulted in the rainbow finch being listed as a near threatened species by the IUCN.
