The diamond firetail (Stagonopleura guttata ) is a species of estrildid finch that is endemic to Australia. It has a patchy distribution and generally occupies drier forests and grassy woodlands west of the Great Dividing Range from SE Queensland to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. While it is a small stocky bird it is one of the largest finches in Australia. The birds are very distinctive with a black breast-band on a white breast. The flanks are black with white spots and it has a scarlet rump (hence the name) and a black tail.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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GranivoreSeed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of pla...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe diamond firetail is one of the largest of the Australian finches by both weight (15-19gm) and wingspan (64-71mm). eBird describes the firetail having an olive back and grey head. The belly and throat are white with a complete black band. The flanks are black with distinctive white spots. The rump is bright red and the tip of the tail is black. The rump is also described as scarlet by some authors. Juvenile diamond firetails are duller than the adults and have a black bill.
The rump is very distinctive in flight. These birds are generally seen in pairs or small flocks, sometimes up to a hundred birds. The birds fly low and in long lines.
The diamond firetail has a patchy distribution from South East Queensland to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The Australian Bird Guide shows its core distribution from Southern Queensland (just north in Inglewood) through to Victoria and around the coast to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and the eBird distribution is similar. Birdlife Australia has a more extensive distribution from the Carnarvon Ranges in Queensland to the Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island which is broader than other references. This broader distribution reflects the historic range of the bird based on the surveys done for The Atlas of Australian Birds. The species was recorded as far north as the Kirrama Tableland in North Queensland in 1917, "new record for the district".
The bird is mostly sedentary and lives in open grassy eucalypt forest and woodland, heath, mallee country, farmland and grassland with scattered trees. The bird's habitat has been threatened by alteration of vegetation structure caused by over-grazing, weed invasion, salinisation and other flow-on processes. This loss of main food plants and habitat results in competition with invasive species, and increased predation.
Diamond Firetails are ground feeders with a diet of grass seeds; ripe or partially ripe. They have also been observed eating insects and larvae. While feeding they will be seen hopping on the ground but if disturbed they will fly into nearby trees.
The birds will eat lettuce, spinach, chickweed, spray millet, eggfood, broccoli tops, sprouted seed, meal worms, small cockroaches, small crickets, hulled oats and carrot tops.
Nests are built with green grass, leaves and stems then lined with feathers and fine grasses. Nests can be found in dense foliage such as "hakeas, rose bushes, boxthorn and the sharp-sounding Sea Urchin Hakea" and high in trees including within mistletoe and babblers nests. it has also been known to build in hawks nests. Birdlife Australia records "To safeguard their eggs and nestlings, Diamond Firetails are often recorded building their nests into the base of the large stick-nest of a bird of prey, such as a Whistling Kite, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brown Falcon, Nankeen Kestrel or a Square-tailed Kite. One nest of a Whistling Kite contained nine Diamond Firetail nests!"
The incubation and care for the young is done by both partners. Normally only one clutch of between 4 and 9 eggs is laid per season.
The IUCN previously classified the species as Near threatened, but in 2016 down listed it to Least concern due to a decrease in the rate of its population decline. Birdlife Australia list the species as secure nationally, vulnerable in NSW and SA but secure in Victoria.
The striking plumage of the diamond firetails make them popular in aviculture. However, they are not particularly suited for inexperienced keepers as they are hard to breed, are assertive in behaviour, and are difficult to sex. In some Australian states, strict licensing requirements apply.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...