Identification Beautiful
Firetail
Olive-brown.
Red bill; black mask. Crimson rump, uppertail coverts.
Barred chest, bold barring on flanks. Male: centre
abdomen black. Size 11-13 cm. Juv: duller; bill black.
Voice
Beautiful Firetail
Call:
Mounful, penetrating whistle 'weeee', in identification.
Low pitched 'cherrr-it', in contact. Alarm call a loud
'tup, tup, tup', in triplets. At brooding change over,
two or three whistle chirped 'two-ee's' or 'tit-e's'.
Song: Cricket like 'caw-caw-caw', in triplets.
Habitat
Beautiful Firetail
Thick
forest and scrub; often near she-oak and tea-tree
thickets.
Distribution
Beautiful Firetail
From
central coastal New South Wales to southern Victoria and
south-eastern South Australia, Kangaroo Island, Tasmania,
and Bass Strait islands. In pairs or small parties.
Nest
Beautiful Firetail
Shaped
like a bottle on its side; composed of thin dried grass,
green grass, and a few leaves; placed in thick foliage of
a bush or tree.
Breeding
Beautiful Firetail
Breeding Season: September to February. Eggs: Five to
eight, usually five; white. Incubation 12-14 days, by
both sexes. Young fledge in about 21 days.
Aviary
Licence Requirements Beautiful Firetail
| ACT |
NSW |
NT |
Qld |
SA |
Tas |
Vic |
WA |
| Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
? |
Yes |
Yes |
Recreational
Wildlife licence required.
Aviary
Notes Beautiful Firetail
One of the harder birds to keep in an aviary. It is
easily stressed and therefore should be housed in a large
aviary. This finch is not a real good colony breeder, it
is best kept paired up by themselves, because they can
get very territorial and upset others of its own kind.
|
