Fiji parrotfinch

Fiji parrotfinch

The Fiji parrotfinch is a small, mainly green bird with a red head and tail and a stubby dark grey bill. It is found in both forested and open habitats, and has adapted well to man-made environments such as grasslands, pasture and gardens. Parrotfinches may be preyed upon by indigenous birds of prey such as the endemic Fiji goshawk, or by introduced mammals such as small Asian mongoose, rats, and mice. The Fiji species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

About Fiji parrotfinch in brief

Summary Fiji parrotfinchThe Fiji parrotfinch is a small, mainly green bird with a red head and tail and a stubby dark grey bill. It is found in both forested and open habitats, and has adapted well to man-made environments such as grasslands, pasture and gardens. Parrotfinches may be preyed upon by indigenous birds of prey such as the endemic Fiji goshawk, or by introduced mammals such as small Asian mongoose, rats, and mice. The Fiji species, despite being both uncommon and endemic to one island group, appears to be stable in numbers, and is therefore classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The English name of Fijian Fire-tail Finch was used in early writings. The adult male has a bright green body and wings, red head, and scarlet rump and tail. The blackish feathering of the chin becomes dark blue on the lower throat and turquoise on the upper breast before fading into the green of the underparts. The female is very similar to the male, but slightly duller flanks.

Young birds have a dark-tipped yellow face which gradually turns red, but sometimes a bluish plumage. Full mature plumage is achieved at about 20 months. Some rare individuals of the Fiji parrots have the entire head and face of the entire bird blue, apparently due to a natural mutation. The call is a high, thin, seep or peep, often repeated in bursts of varying length and varying frequent calling, often in repeated bursts of repeated and frequent bursts of high-beats, then descending to tree tops, descending to the tree tops and then descending again. The bird is protected under Fijiian law. The species is a genus of estrildid finches found in Southeast Asia and Australasia. Most species have green bodies, and all but one have the red tail that gives the genus its scientific name Erythrura, which is derived from the Ancient Greek erythros, “red”, and oura, “tail”