It has been shown scientifically that female finches from Northern Australia are controlling the sex of their offspring, according to the head color of their male counterpart.The finding, published in the journal Science, is one of the first to clearly show that birds are capable of biasing the sex of their offspring to overcome genetic weaknesses. Some breeders believe parent-raised Gouldians have greater success rearing young than those fostered by other species, such as Society finches or Spice Finches. Young Gouldians are very fragile until their final moult. Gouldian finches have brightly coloured gapes and call loudly when the parent birds return so that they are able to find and feed their mouths in the dark nest. Gouldian Finches leave the nest at between 19 and 23 days and are independent at 40 days old. When the eggs hatch, both parents help care for the young. Both parents help brood the eggs during the daytime, and the female stays on the eggs at night. After mating, a female lays a clutch of about 4–8 eggs.
He expands his chest and fluffs out his forehead feathers. When a male is courting a female, he bobs about ruffling his feathers to show off his colors. The male courtship dance is a fascinating spectacle. They usually breed in the early part of the dry season, when there is plenty of food around. Gouldian finches generally make their nests in tree-holes, generally within a kilometer or so of water. It was also suggested to develop management guidelines for land-holders about appropriate land management, promoting the recovery program, and Gouldian Finch conservation. Attempts at reintroduction have so far proved unsuccessful. Recovery plans are in place to recover and conserve its natural habitats, such as building protective fencing to prevent damage by cattle. The total number of Gouldian Finches altogether is not low, however, because they are among the most popular pet birds, and are bred in captivity for the pet trade. Fires are listed as the primary threat to the natural populations. Their beautiful colours mean that they are easily caught by predators.
In general, Gouldian Finches are susceptible to diseases and viral infections. This is no longer considered to be a major factor. Early research indicated a parasite called the air sac mite was responsible for the decline of the species. Their habitat has been reduced or altered. The number of Gouldian Finches has decreased quite dramatically during the 20th century. Very young birds also have blue, phosphorescent beads on the sides of their beaks to help their parents see them in the dark. Newly-hatched Gouldian Finches are pink and naked until about 12 days old when the beginnings of feathers start to appear. Their heads, sides and necks are grey, and their backs, wings and tail feathers are olive green. Selective breeding has also developed mutations in both body and breast color. Formerly considered three different kinds of finches, it is now known that these are colour variants that exist in the wild. Gouldian Finches' heads may be red, black, or yellow. Gouldian Finches are about 130–140 mm long. One major difference between the sexes is that the male's chest is purple, while the female's is a lighter mauve. The females tend to be less brightly colored. It is currently subject to a conservation program.īoth sexes are brightly colored with black, green, yellow, and red markings. This was because the viable population size was estimated to be less than 2,500 mature individuals, no permanent subpopulation was known to contain more than 250 mature individuals, and that a continuing decline was observed in the number of mature individuals. In 1992, it was classified as "Endangered in the wild" under IUCN's criteria C2ai. If extrapolated to an Australia-wide figure this would result in a total of over 100,000 birds. In the state of South Australia, National Parks & Wildlife Department permit returns in the late 1990s showed that over 13,000 Gouldian Finches were being kept by aviculturists. Large numbers are bred in captivity, particularly in Australia. There is strong evidence of a continuing decline, even at the best-known site near Katherine in the Northern Territory. The Gouldian Finch,, also known as the Lady Gouldian Finch, Gould's Finch or the Rainbow Finch, is a colourful passerine bird endemic to Australia.