In Australia we have some very attractive smaller birds. A large group of these are named Finches.
However there are three birds that are in the family but are called Firetails which is most likely because they have a splash of red from the top of the tail and extending down further to the end.
Of the three, only one is found in our region and that is the Diamond Firetail. This is a very pretty looking bird about 10cm long with a mixture of patterns as the illustration shows.
Its red beak and red eyes are features that stand out also. Another name for it is the Diamond Sparrow.
I was fortunate to get this photo of one. I was sure it was a Finch but as I hadn’t seen one like this before, I was keen to check it out and find out as much as I could about it.
Once there were greater numbers spread across their habitat but buildings and land development have pushed them further away from the more settled areas.
This little bird likes to live in flocks which tend to keep near water and are known for feeding on the ground where they will find seeds of the different grasses.
I have also photographed the Red-browed Finch which is sometimes called the Red-browed Firetail because of the red piece on its tail. It is one of the common Finches in our region though not specifically called the Firetail as I have found out.
It inhabits the coastal areas from Cape York right down south to Victoria. In an earlier column, I illustrated this bird with one of the photos that I have taken.
