Profile
In flight
Songbirds
Masked Finch
Poephila personata
- uncommon
- 42 km/h
- Least Concern
Named for the bold black mask covering its face. Groups roost pressed together, a feathered chain of masks.
- Population
- Not quantified in available sources (IUCN/BirdLife DataZone factsheet did not render usable population figures); qualitatively described as common/abundant across its range
- Habitat
- Dry savannah, open eucalypt woodland, and grassy/scrub areas with scattered trees, typically near water
- Fun fact
- The Masked Finch gets its name from the striking black mask covering its face and throat, contrasting with a heavy yellow bill; large flocks — sometimes numbering in the thousands — gather at waterholes in northern Australia's dry season to drink and bathe.
- Range
- Northern Australia — from the Kimberley region across the Top End and Gulf Country to southern Cape York Peninsula (Queensland), east to near Chillagoe; estimated range extent ~972,681 km²
- Diet
- Primarily grass seeds, foraged mostly on the ground; classified as a granivore, with likely opportunistic small invertebrates as is typical of the genus (this last detail is genus-level inference, not directly sourced for this species)
- Size
- 0.13 m
- Lifespan
- 8 years
