Identification Diamond
Firetail
Male:
solid 'upright' finch. Maroon bill; lores black. Grey
above, white below; black chest band. Flanks spotted
white. Crimson rump. Female: bill coral-pink; lores
brownish. Size 12-13cm. Juv; blackish bill; dull,
indistinct chest bar. Hops vigorously.
Voice Diamond Firetail
Call:
Drawn out, plaintive, nasal 'twooo-heee', with first
syllable descending and second ascending and whistled;
given in contact and identification by both sexes, higher
pitched in female. Also low, snoring calls between birds
during nest relief. Song: Long series of low, rasping
notes, by male in display.
Habitat Diamond Firetail
Grassy
woodlands and open spaces. In pairs or small flocks.
Distribution
Diamond Firetail
South-central
Queensland through south-eastern Australia to South
Australia and Kangaroo Island, west to Eyre Peninsula
South Australia.
Nest Diamond Firetail
Bottle
shaped, placed on its side, composed of dried grasses and
lined with feathers; built in a bush or tree in thick
foliage, sometimes in the outer loose material of the
nest of an eagle or crow.
Breeding
Diamond Firetail
Breeding
Season: August to January. Eggs: Four to seven; white.
Incubation 14 days, by both sexes. Young fledge in about
21 days.
Breeders
Price Guide (Aviary bred pairs) Diamond Firetail
$55
to $65
Aviary
Licence Requirements Diamond Firetail
| ACT |
NSW |
NT |
Qld |
SA |
Tas |
Vic |
WA |
| Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
? |
Yes |
Yes |
Aviary Notes Diamond Firetail
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.
|