Waxbills (Estrildidae)
Long-tailed Finch (Poephila acuticauda) - HBW 15, p. 358
French: Diamant à longue queue
German: Spitzschwanzamadine
Spanish: Diamante Colilargo
Other common names: Long-tailed Grassfinch, Blackheart/Black-hearted Finch; Heck's Finch/Grassfinch, Red-billed/Orange-billed Finch (hecki)
Taxonomy: Amadina acuticauda Gould, 1840, King Sound, Western Australia.
Forms a superspecies with P. cincta. Race hecki sometimes treated as a separate species on basis of morphology (bill colour) and differences in quantitative genetics (although no genetic comparison made of races of other members of genus), and slight differences exist in songs and loud contact calls. Conversely, other authors have questioned whether two races are taxonomically recognizable, as distribution of yellow-billed and orange-billed birds is continuous across N Australia, with intergradation in W Northern Territory (and bill-colour differences do not persist in museum sp.. View all taxonomy...
Forms a superspecies with P. cincta. Race hecki sometimes treated as a separate species on basis of morphology (bill colour) and differences in quantitative genetics (although no genetic comparison made of races of other members of genus), and slight differences exist in songs and loud contact calls. Conversely, other authors have questioned whether two races are taxonomically recognizable, as distribution of yellow-billed and orange-billed birds is continuous across N Australia, with intergradation in W Northern Territory (and bill-colour differences do not persist in museum specimens); in addition, the two are similar in courtship behaviour, and in captivity individuals with no prior breeding experience do not mate assortatively. Further study required. Two subspecies currently recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- acuticauda ( Gould, 1840) - N Western Australia (Kimberley).
- hecki Heinroth, 1900 - N end of Northern Territory and NW Queensland (S to Mt Isa), in N Australia.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
-
small group, adults and immatures visiting a bird bath Locality Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia (Monotypic species)
Martin Kennewell 26 July 2009 2 years ago 18 sec 3.3 -
Two birds preening and allopreening. Locality Tierpark Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Josep del Hoyo 22 March 2008 2 years ago 34 sec 3 -
An adult on a rock and then moving away Locality Vogelpark Walsrode, Walsrode, Lower Saxony, Germany
Josep del Hoyo 11 August 2006 3 years ago 26 sec 3
-
adult perched in bush
Locality Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia (ssp hecki)
Mat Gilfedder 31 October 2004 2 years ago 4 -
Long-tailed Finch feeding on ants
Locality October Creek, Northern Territory, Australia (ssp Acuticauda)
Rhonda Hansch 2 July 2010 5 weeks ago 3.5 -
A bird perched.
Locality Tierpark Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Josep del Hoyo 22 March 2008 2 years ago 3.5 -
Red-billed (northern) sub-species
Locality October Creek, Northern Territory, Australia (ssp acuticauda)
Lindsay Hansch 2 July 2010 48 weeks ago 3.5 -
Yellow-billed (north-western) sub-species
Locality Derby, Western Australia, Australia (ssp hecki)
Lindsay Hansch 9 August 2010 48 weeks ago 3.3 -
Adult male.
Locality Hungary
kcencziken 1 January 2009 1 year ago 3
- No sound recordings available yet
Email this page