Crimson finch

For the South American species sometimes known as the crimson finch, see Crimson-breasted finch.
Crimson finch
Male at Middle Point, Northern Territory, Australia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae
Genus: Neochmia
Species: N. phaeton
Binomial name
Neochmia phaeton
(Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841)

The crimson finch (Neochmia phaeton) is a common species of estrildid finch found in Australia, West Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 100,000- 1,000,000 km2.

It is commonly found in moist savannah, and subtropical/tropical (lowland) moist shrubland. The IUCN has classified the species as being of least concern.

The crimson finch (also known as the blood finch) has two distinct races, the black-bellied and the white-bellied. The black-bellied is the more common in captivity and therefore is reflected in its pricing.

The blood finch is known by this name due to the predominantly blood red colouration of the plumage. This bird is often erroneously accused of being a "killer" in captivity. It is normally no more aggressive than any other Australian finch; only males kept as single birds for a long period of time eventually become aggressive. This finch comes from the northern part of Australia, mainly in the Northern Territory.

Crimson finches - breeding pair - Fogg Dam - Middle Point, Northern Territory - Australia (male on the left)
Fogg Dam, Middle Point, Northern Territory, Australia, March 2014
Crimson finch - female - Fogg Dam - Middle Point, Northern Territory - Australia

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