Today, a flock of Red-browed Firetails (Emblema temporalis) are back in our garden after a few weeks away! The flock numbers about 15 birds and they move around close together, mostly feeding on small seeds. Two of them went to our bird bath for a drink and posed beautifully for this picture.
I quickly threw some seed back on the patio and the flock soon returned and tucked in:
here is a close-up of one eating seed
I had just put the camera down, when a whole lot of them flew up to land on the edge of a container that we have a water lily growing in. For a moment there were about 12 perched round the rim, but by the time I had grabbed the camera again, I was only able to photograph a group of seven (one almost hidden and facing the wrong way). It is a good thing Fay topped up the water recently ort these tiny birds would never have been able to reach down for a drink.
This is so nice seeing a bird I never heard of before. Thanks so much kennedy; great pics!
They are so cute!
This message was edited Mar 11, 2007 11:34 PM
Kennedy, fabulous photos!!!!!! And that's a bird I also had not heard of - thanks so much for sharing!
Beautiful bird, great shots! Thanks for sharing.
They sure are pretty little things. I had never heard of them before.
Ill join in on this one, a bird Ive never heard of before either. How fascinating to see birds from other countries. Thanks for posting these great pictures.
Wow, they are so exotic looking. Are they in the finch family? I love the red eyebrow!
They're in the waxbill family (Estrildidae). The family is confined to the Old World tropics and subtropics (Africa, southern Asia, Australasia), none in the New World.
Resin
Red-browed Firetails (Emblema temporalis)
Resin,
I had a look in my Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds (Volume 7), published only last year, and the name given is different again. It is now apparently Neochmia temporalis. The only synonym they give is Fringilla temporalis which dates back to 1802.
We have no native true finches here, but the European Goldfinch and Greenfinch were both introduced into Australia and I see lots of Goldfinches and the occasional Greenfinch in this area. New Zealand had 4 finches introduced, the Goldfinch and Greenfinch and in addition, the Chaffinch and Common Redpoll.
Here is a Goldfinch taking a drink in my garden:
Very nice!
Hi Kennedyh,
Checked up - it seems there's been some research showing Aegintha is closely related to the two other species of Neochmia (which my book also cites as being allied to African, rather than other Australian, Estrildidae), so obviously HANZAB have taken this on. The relevant paper is Christidis, L. (1986). Chromosomal evolution within the family Estrildidae (Aves) I. The Poephilae. Genetica 71 (2): 81-97. Abstract: http://www.springerlink.com/content/qx63711805n15h5t/ Unfortunately it is one of those journals where you need to cough up a month's income to buy a copy of the full article.
Resin
Kennedy: Thanks so much for posting these pics. I 'm amazed at the variety of birds in the world...and I love seeing new ones. :)
Deb
What lovely little birds!
Great pics! Nice feeder birds!
Oh what amazing birds..wow!
