The Gouldian Finch, also known as the Lady Gouldian Finch, Gould's Finch or the Rainbow Finch, is a colorful passerine bird endemic to Australia. There is strong evidence of a continuing decline, even at the best-known site near Katherine in the Northern Territory. Large numbers are bred in captivity, particularly in Australia. 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. If extrapolated to an Australia-wide figure this would result in a total of over 100,000 birds.
In 1992, it was classified as "Endangered in the wild". This was because the viable population size was estimated to be less than 2,500 mature individuals, no permanent sub-population was known to contain more than 250 mature individuals, and that a continuing decline was observed in the number of mature individuals. It is currently subject to a conservation program.
Both sexes are brightly colored with black, green, yellow, and red markings. The females tend to be less brightly colored. One major difference between the sexes is that the male's chest is purple, while the female's is a lighter mauve.
Juveniles also have distinctive colors. Their heads, sides and necks are gray, and their backs, wings and tail feathers are olive-green. Their undersides are pale brown. Beaks are blackish with a reddish tip. Their legs and feet are light brown. Newly hatched Gouldian Finches are pink and naked until about 12 days old when the beginnings of feathers start to appear. Very young birds also have blue, phosphorescent beads on the sides of their beaks to help their parents see them in the dark.
Gouldian Finches are apprehensive birds generally evading populated areas. A relatively quiet bird, the Gouldian has a high-pitched call that cannot be heard over long distances. They have hisses, clicks and weakened whines for their songs. There is an occasional sharp modification of the normal call when startled. During the courtship ritual the male commences with beak-wiping, bobbing, showing off his brilliant colors by ruffling his feathers and holding his body and tail erect. At the same time he expands his chest and fluff the forehead feathers. The female will often do a bit of beak-wiping during the ritual. Much of the courtship takes place on a limb, sometimes followed by copulation in the nest. Both parents brood over the nest during the day, and the female sits the eggs at night. There is always one parent with the nest, they relieve one another with the nesting call.
Gouldian Finches are not ground feeders and favor foraging from upright grasses. Semi-ripe to ripe grass seeds are a major part of the Gouldian Finches' diet. They also eat a variety of insects including beetles, termites, flies, flying ants, and spiders along with their prey right from the web. They drink by sucking.
Guardian health plays a major role in the aviary.
It is not just the cold that causes fatalities but a lack of knowledge of the bird itself.
Although the Gouldian finch comes from a tropical climate it can and it does acclimatize itself to cooler climates and can breed more readily than some of the other Australian finches. Breeding Gouldian finches in colder climates are achievable. They even do remarkably well in England and even in colder places such as Canada, where they breed successfully also. Guardians can be acclimatized to various climatic conditions if you know how to treat them correctly.
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