Beautiful Firetail vs Diamond Firetail

Beautiful Firetail

Stagonopleura bella

Tiny14 gShrubland

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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Maria Duynisveld · CC BY 4.0

Diamond Firetail

Stagonopleura guttata

Small18 gWoodland

The 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. The belly and throat are white with a complete black band. The flanks are black with distinctive white spots. The rump is bright red and the tip of the tail is black. The rump is also described as scarlet by some authors. Juvenile diamond firetails are duller than the adults and have a black bill. The rump is very distinctive in flight. Voice: The Slater Field Guide notes the voice is a penetrating twoo-hee or pain, while the Australian Bird Guide describes the contact call as a "drawn out, mournful whistle like descending call of black-eared cuckoo, though typically disyllabic, with first syllable ascending and second descending". They are generally silent in flight.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Niko Ioannidis · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Beautiful Firetail and Diamond Firetail.