Double Barred Finch
Latin Name: Taeniopygia bichenovii
Other Names: Banded Finch, Black Ringed Finch, Black Rumped Double Bar, Bicheno's Finch, Double Bar Finch, Owl Faced Finch, Ringed Finch

Identification Double Barred Finch
Brownish-grey finch. Bill greyish-blue. Face white, bordered black. White underparts with two narrow black bands above and below chest. Black wings spotted white. Black tail; rump white (black rump is race 'annulosa, W of Gulf of Carpentaria). Size 10-11 cm. Juv: duller; chest bars indistinct.

Voice Double Barred Finch
Call: Short low nasal 'tat' in close contact; longer, louder nasal 'tiatt' in identification, alarm and flight; high pitched squeaking at nest. Song: Soft repetitive sequence of nasal identification notes.

Habitat Double Barred Finch
Varied; open forests, grasslands, beside creeks. In pairs or flocks. Food: seeds.

Distribution Double Barred Finch
Eastern Northern Territory and eastern Australia to the south of New South Wales.

Nest Double Barred Finch
Bottle shaped, composed of dried grasses and lined with finer grasses; built in a small bush or in tall grass.

Breeding Double Barred Finch
Breeding Season: July to May. Eggs: Four to eight; white. Incubation 14 days, by both sexes. Young fledge in about 21 days.

Breeders Price Guide (Aviary bred pairs) Double Barred Finch
(White Rumped) $20 to $30; (Black Rumped) $60 to $70

Aviary Licence Requirements in Qld Double Barred Finch
No licence required.

Aviary Notes Double Barred Finch
Prefers an open flight aviary away from cold and drafts. The pair bond can be life long, and is hard to bring in a new mate. They can be kept in a collection of small seed eaters. Paired up or as a colony. They are a social bird.

Australian Field Guides

The Field Guide To The Birds Of Australia - Graham Pizzey & Frank Knight Save 33%

Field Guide To Australian Birds - Michael Morcombe Save 22%

What Bird Is That? - Neville Cayley

Simpson & Day Field Guide To The Birds Of Australia - Ken Simpson

The Slater Field Guide To Australian Birds - Peter Slater

Photographic Field Guide To Birds Of Australia - Jim Flegg

Australian Birds: A Concise Photographic Field Guide - Donald & Molly Trounson

A Photographic Guide To Birds Of Australia Peter Rowland