Plum-headed Finch - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Tom Tarrant
Lake Clarendon, South East Queensland, April 2002

Aidemosyne modesta

Neochmia modesta

Identification

11 cm (4¼ in)
Male

• Reddish-brown crown and forehead
• Brown nape, back and upper wing
• Barred rump and upper tail-coverts

Distribution

Female
Photo © by Hans&Judy Beste
Isisford, Central Queensland, Australia, May 2018

Eastern Australia: (Burdekin River, Queensland to about Sydney, New South Wales)

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Habitat

They are to be found in lightly timbered open grassland, wet grass near creeks and gardens.

Behaviour

Diet

Graphic by Nrg800

Their diet consists of grass and other small seeds, with the addition of some invertebrates.

Breeding

They breed mainly from September-January in the south and August-April in Queensland.
They build a round nest using green grass, placed in thick bushes for protection. The clutch contains 4-6 pure white eggs.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2018)
3. Birdforum Member observations
4. Birdata, Info for the Map

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Plum-headed Finch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 6 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Plum-headed_Finch

External Links

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