About the Beautiful Firetail
The beautiful firetail is a common species of estrildid finch found in Australia. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 1,000,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi). The species inhabits temperate shrubland habitats in Australia. The IUCN has classified the species as being of least concern.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
At 10 to 13 cm (3.9 to 5.1 in) long and weighing 14 g (1⁄2 oz) the beautiful firetail is a small plump bird, slightly smaller than the diamond firetail. Its plumage is mostly olive-brown. The white chest has a fine pattern of dark lines. The head has a black mask with pale blue rings around the eyes and a thick red beak. Its rump is a deep red, its legs and feet are creamy pink. The wings and tail are short and rounded. Juvenile birds are less colourful with a smaller face mask and a blackish beak. The male has a black abdomen.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in January · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Red-eared FiretailStagonopleura oculataThe red-eared firetail is a small grass-finch with black-barred and white-spotted plumage, distinguished by its scarlet bill, black mask, and bright crimson red patch behind the eye and at the rump.
Diamond FiretailStagonopleura guttataThe diamond firetail is one of the largest of the Australian finches by both weight (15–19 g) and wingspan (64–71 mm). eBird describes the firetail having an olive back and grey head.
Learn the Beautiful Firetail for real
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