Masked Finch
Latin Name: Poephola personata
Other Names: Masked Grass Finch, White Eared Finch, White Eared Grass Finch

Identification Masked Finch
Slender body; red-brown above; buff below. Bill heavy, waxy-yellow. Black mask on chin. Race leucotis (C. York Pen.): pale on cheeks and lower flanks. Size 12-13.5 cm. Juv: duller; bill black. Flicks tail frequently.

Voice Masked Finch
Call: Soft nasal 'twet, twet', repeated between birds in close contact when feeding and preening; loud, nasal chirp 'tiat' in identification and contact between individuals and groups at distance, often in flight or when landing; a hissing 'wsst in aggressive chases to which chased bird responds with high, plaintive 'fear' note, also given in alarm; male selecting nest sites for female whines rapidly in enticement. Song: Loud rapid, sharp nasal notes in monotone, with few inflections. Both calls and song have a toneless quality resembling those of Zebra and Double Barred Finches.

Habitat Masked Finch
Open woodland, grasslands bordering watercourses. Food: seeds and insects. In pairs or flocks.

Distribution Masked Finch
Tropical northern Australia.

Nest Masked Finch
Bulky, bottle shaped, composed of dried grasses and lined with feathers and small pieces of charcoal; built in grass, near or upon the ground, sometimes in a small tree or bush.

Breeding Masked Finch
Breeding Season: September to June. Eggs: Five to six; white. Incubation 14 days, by both sexes. Young fledge in about 21 days.

Breeders Price Guide (Aviary bred pairs) Masked Finch
$70 to $80

Aviary Licence Requirements in Qld Masked Finch
Restrictions if not licensed.

Aviary Notes Masked 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