Australia is home to approximately twenty species of finch.
In my travels over the years, I have been lucky enough to observe nearly all of them in a wild setting.
South-east Queensland is home to the common Double-barred Finch and Red-browed Finch.
However, the one that is not see easy to see is the Plum-headed Finch.
Recently, I was in the Lockyer Valley and I had lovely views of Plum-headed Finch.
These small birds are prolific seed feeders so when there is a multitude of long grasses in areas that are bit off the beaten track, you can get lucky seeing them.
Plum-headed Finches have distinctive barring on their chest and underbelly and are dark plum-brown above.
The male has a distinctive plum-brown cap on the head whilst the female lacks the colouring around the face.
The range of this small bird is in Queensland and parts of New South Wales.
Their preferred habitat types can range from thickly grassed paddocks, cumbungi-filled dams, heavily grassed road verges and lightly treed grassy riverflats.
The birds can be seen in pairs to hundreds in a flock. I usually encounter the birds when they are perched on a fence or feeding on the stalks of grasses.
Sometimes, the birds can be extremely flighty, and it has only been recently that I have encountered birds that were willing to let me get close enough with a big lens to photograph.
With many finch species that are not easy to see, I do not reveal the location of where I see them especially if they are in decent flocks.
This particular species can be targeted by people who catch finches illegally to sell.
For those of us who do have the privilege of seeing them, it is always a treat to observe them feeding or interacting with each other.
I never tire of looking at this small bird as it as only been in recent years that I have come to spend much time with them.
It was a pleasure only a few years ago to discover a location where the birds are breeding well and can be seen very easily.
I hope that I have inspired some to go out on your own birdwatching forays to seeing if you can see some of these small birds!
