The beautiful Red-browed Finch is slowly disappearing from urban areas around Australia. It's unclear why - whether it's competition from introduced finches such as the European sparrow, greenfinch or goldfinch or whether urban cats are taking their toll on this species like they are with many of our other beautiful indigenous bird species.
Despite some in depth research I can't seem to find a list of the Red-browed Finches favoured diet. The information seems very general i.e. grass seed supplemented with berries and insects. If anyone can offer some advice on the favoured native foodplants for this finch it would be greatly appreciated.
I'm suspecting that they enjoy Microlaena stipoides, Themeda triandra and Austrostipa spp. but it would be good to know for sure?!
Thankyou
The Red-browed and the sparrows seem to get on quite well here, feeding from the same wild bird mix we buy.
Paul
hello spiney.
afaik, they feed on grass seeds.
Have a look at this page on my site where I have a photo of a red-browed finch feeding on some grass seeds. You can see the seed head in the photo, so you may be able to identify the plant.
http://www.stevehapp.com/birds/birds_080812.php
cheers,
steve
I had a look at my photos and here is a crop of a bird with a seed in its mouth, so you can see it clearly.
the seed heads are also in shot.
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The location is dudley, near newcastle.
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cheers,
steve
Cheers for the feedback Paul. Enjoy those red-browed finch visits while you can. I have a few friends around Melbourne that now report that red-brows no longer visit their seed trays and haven't for a number of years. With the revegetation efforts currently underway along the rivers and creeks in and around Melbourne this decline will hopefully be halted and maybe even reversed - Let's hope so!! Great photograph Steve - I don't recognise that seed or the plant but maybe somebody else does? I'll be keeping an eye on the few finches that still survive around me in Melbourne's North east to try and identify their favoured indigenous foodplants. Let me know if you see them feeding on anything else!!
Geez that's sad Spiney. I am indeed lucky here then. We do have a lot of very bushy grevilleas that they love breeding in. Hope the situation changes for you in Melbourne, it would be a pity to lose such a beautiful little bird. How does it relate to other bird sightings? Are they down in population?
I'm envious of your talent with the camera Steve. Beautiful photos there. I can't recognise the plant either, the leaf looks a bit like a raspberry lol.
Paul