Long Tailed Finch
Latin Name: Poephila acuticauda
Other Names: Black Heart Finch, Heck's Finch, Long Tailed Grassfinch, Orange Billed Grassfinch

Identification Long Tailed Finch
Jerks head on landing. Male: fawnish-tan. Blue-grey head; black lores. Large black bib. Bill varies from waxy yellow (W Aust.) to orange-red (W Qld.). Long, sharply tapered black tail; white rump; orange legs. Female: smaller bib. Size 14-16 cm. Juv: duller; bill black.

Voice Long Tailed Finch
Call: Loud whistle, 'thwirr' in identification; short 'tet' in close contact; hissing 'whsst' in chases; male whines selecting nest site. Song: Soft flute like whistles in two second phrases.

Habitat Long Tailed Finch
Open woodland and grass near creeks.

Distribution Long Tailed Finch
North-western Australia to north-western Qld.

Nest Long Tailed Finch
Bottle shaped, composed of dried grasses and lined with feathers; built in tall grass, a low bush, or a palm tree.

Breeding Long Tailed Finch
Breeding Season: December to June. Eggs: Five to six; white. Incubation 14 days, by both sexes. Young fledge in 21 days.

Breeders Price Guide (Aviary bred pairs) Long Tailed Finch
(Red Billed) $35 to $40; (Yellow Billed) $50 to $70

Aviary Licence Requirements in Qld Long Tailed Finch
Restrictions if not licenced.

Aviary Notes Long Tailed Finch
They prefer an open flight aviary away from cold and drafts.
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