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Double-barred Finch (Taeniopygia bichenovii) Alternate name(s): "Banded Finch", "Double-bar", "White-rumped Double-bar", "White-rumped Banded Finch", "Owl-faced Finch", "Bicheno's Finch", "Black-ringed Finch" Size: 10-11 cm Body mass: 8-11 g

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Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Double-barred Finches are small finches. They have a white facial mask that encompasses the eyes and is fringed by a black band. Below that first black band, the chest is white. A second black band separates the white chest from the creamy underparts (belly and vent). The undertail coverts are black. The frons is black, the cap dark greyish-brown. The mantle and shoulders are also greyish-brown. The flight feathers have prominent white spots on a dark-grey background. The wedge-shaped tail is black. Race "bichenovii" has a white rump, race "annulosa" has a black rump. The eyes have dark irises. The strong, wedge-shaped bill is grey; the legs and feet are also grey. Juveniles do not yet have prominent frontal bars and duller colours overall. Twitcher's tip Double-barred Finches are very easily identified by their calls and appearance. Note that the breast and belly below the upper black bar are not white, but a light cream colour, as can be seen quite clearly in several photos below.

Taxonomy, classification See Double-barred Finch at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Double-barred Finch is available HERE . There are two races of Double-barred Finches, both of which are endemic to Australia. Nominate race "bichenovii" is found in eastern NSW and QLD, from almost exactly the NSW/VIC border northwards, as far West as about Bourke, NSW and Barcaldine, QLD, up to almost the tip of Cape York peninsula. They are not found at the very tip of Cape York and a narrow coastal margin from about Cooktown, QLD, to Townsville, QLD. Their range extends further westward along the southern end of the Gulf of Carpentaria to the border of QLD with the NT. To the West of the QLD/NT border, throughout the Top End of the NT and the Kimberley in WA, including some offshore islands along the North coast, race "annulosa" is found. Double-barred Finches can live in a variety of habitats, from open grassland to scrub and open forest, also in roadside vegetation. Where to look? How to find this species? A targeted approach to Double-barred Finches is made difficult by their versatility. A clump of dense shrubs in an open landscape, or an area with scattered vegetation, is a good starting point. If a mob of tiny birds flushes, the giveaway is the colour of the rump. In the southern race "bichenovii" the rump is white (they are the ONLY birds in mainland Australia with a white rump); in the northern race "annulosa" the rump is instead black.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "bichenovii" At the place where we lived in 2003-2006, 20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, Double-barred Finches, race "bichenovii", visited us regularly in flocks of 10 to 20, searching for seeds in the lawn and paddocks around the house. They were also seen by us regularly in the adjacent Pilliga scrub. Although they only occasionally stay at the place where we live since 2007, at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri, we have found them to be permanent residents in the adjacent bushland, on the fringes of Mt. Kaputar NP. There we see and hear them regularly, all year round. Double-barred Finches, race "bichenovii", have also been seen and heard by us regularly in other parts of the Great Dividing Range, e.g. in the area of Maules Creek(including Leard State Forest), Barraba and Manilla, NSW. C. Hayne reports spotting Double-barred Finches, race "bichenovii", regularly in various locations around Moree, NSW. J. Greaves reports spotting Double-barred Finches, race "bichenovii", at The Spit, Gold Coast, QLD, in October 2015. M. Eaton spotted Double-barred Finches, race "bichenovii", at Stanage Bay, QLD, in July 2021, and since then in various other locations in SE QLD. M. Eaton also found them in and around Mount Isa, QLD, in June 2025. J. Greaves reports spotting Double-barred Finches, race "bichenovii", at The Spit, Gold Coast, QLD, in October 2015. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours found Double-barred Finches, race "bichenovii", at Rotary Park, Marreba, QLD, in April 2022. Race "annulosa" We first spotted Double-barred Finches, race "annulosa", in various locations in and around Darwin, NT, in August 2014. Good numbers were spotted, for example, at Fogg Dam CR. H. Mouritsen reports spotting them in the same area in October 2015. J. Greaves reports spotting Double-barred Finches, race "annulosa", at Alyangula, Groote Eylandt, NT, in September 2014, and at Broome Bird Observatory, Broome, WA, in April 2015. Both B. Hensen and P. Brown report spotting Double-barred Finches, race "annulosa", regularly in and around Darwin, NT. They were also found by P. Brown along the Buchanan Highway, a few km southward of the junction with the Victoria Highway, NT, in November 2018. C. Pears found Double-barred Finches, race "annulosa", at the Broome Bird Observatory, Broome, WA, in June 2025.

Photos

Race "bichenovii"

ADULT

PAIR

Close-up near-frontal view of a pair of Double-barred Finches
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2023]

Near-frontal view of a pair of Double-barred Finches (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Lateral view of Double-barred Finches (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, Febuary 2017]

Sex unknown

Frontal view of an adult Double-barred Finch showing how the species received its name as "Owl-faced Finch"
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, November 2013]

Frontal view of a Double-barred Finch looking sideways
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, March 2016]

Near-frontal view of a Double-barred Finch looking towards the observer
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2024]

Near-frontal view of a Double-barred Finch looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Stanage Bay, QLD, July 2021]

Near-frontal view of a Double-barred Finch looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, December 2020]

Close-up near-frontal view of a preening Double-barred Finch
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2023]

Close-up near-lateral view of a Double-barred Finch
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2025]

Near-lateral view of a Double-barred Finch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Warrigal Waterhole, Mount Isa, QLD, June 2025]

Near-lateral view of a Double-barred Finch checking out the area before moving in for a drink from a water bowl
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, September 2006]

Close-up lateral view of a Double-barred Finch
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2025]

Close-up lateral view of a Double-barred Finch
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2025]

Close-up lateral view of a Double-barred Finch
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2025]

Lateral view of a Double-barred Finch
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2024]

Lateral view of a Double-barred Finch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, December 2020]

Lateral view of a Double-barred Finch checking out the observer
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, December 2019]

Lateral view of a Double-barred Finch feeding on the ground

Close-up lateral view of a Double-barred Finch; note the white rump which is characteristic of race "bichenovii"
[Eulah Creek, NSW, February 2014]

Lateral view of a Double-barred Finch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, February 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Double-barred Finch showing how glossy the plumage can appear
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, March 2009]

Near-dorsal view of a Double-barred Finch
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2011]

Dorsal view of a Double-barred Finch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, December 2020]

Double-barred Finches on our rudimentary lawn - sometimes up to 50 were observed together, especially when grass seeds are available
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, April 2006]

Comparison between a Double-barred Finch and a Red-browed Finch (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Maules Creek, NSW, February 2013]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a juvenile Double-barred Finch moulting into its adult plumage
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, March 2013]

Near-frontal view of a fledgling Double-barred Finch (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Maules Creek, NSW, January 2012]

Dorsal view of the same fledgling Double-barred Finch as shown above (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Maules Creek, NSW, January 2012]

Close-up portrait of the same fledgling Double-barred Finch as shown above (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Maules Creek, NSW, January 2012]

Race "annulosa"

ADULT

PAIR

Near-lateral view of a pair of Double-barred Finches (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buchanan Highway, NT, November 2018]

Lateral view of Double-barred Finches foraging on the ground (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, March 2019]

Sex unknown

Frontal view of an adult Double-barred Finch; this full-frontal view shows how the species received its name as "Owl-faced Finch"
[Fogg Dam NR, NT, August 2014]

Near-frontal view of a Double-barred Finch looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, April 2017]

Near-lateral view of a Double-barred Finch
[Fogg Dam NR, NT, August 2014]

Close-up lateral view onto the upperparts of a Double-barred Finch, showing clearly the black rump characteristic of race "annulosa"
[Fogg Dam NR, NT, August 2014]

Dorsal view of a Double-barred Finch
[Fogg Dam NR, NT, August 2014]

Double-barred Finch in comparison with a Peaceful Dove (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Double-barred Finch; note the pronounced grey chest between the two bars and the absence of tail feathers (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Jul - May

Eggs: 4 - 6

Incubation period: 12 - 14 days

Fledging age: 21 days

Given the right conditions, Double-barred Finches can breed any time of the year.

A. Morris reports that Double-barred Finches like nesting near nests of paper wasps.

Nest building: Male & female?

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Dome

Material: Grass with feather lining

Height above ground 1 - 5 m

Double-barred Finch looking out of its nest; the nest can, in fact, accommodate two adult birds plus eggs
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2026]

Double-barred Finch at its nest (photo courtesy P. Brown)
[Nitmiluk NP, near Katherine, NT, September 2020]

Double-barred Finch nest in a dense shrub
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2024]

Double-barred Finch nest in an introduced Californian pepper tree
[Maules Creek, NSW, September 2011]

Look into a Double-barred Finch nest with three chicks (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Maules Creek, NSW, September 2011]

Double-barred Finch working on its nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nakara, Darwin, NT, December 2019]

Double-barred Finch collecting nesting material (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Maules Creek, NSW, September 2011]

This attempt by a pair of Double-barred Finches to build a nest had to be adandoned... (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nakara, Darwin, NT, October 2019]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 16 x 11 mm

Colour: White

Shape: Tapered oval

View inside a Double-barred Finch nest with 7 eggs in it (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Kingaroy, QLD, April 2020]

Look into an abandoned Double-barred Finch nest with four eggs inside
[Near Narrabri, NSW, August 2018]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Dispersive

Elementary unit: Flock

All species of finches known to us are highly sociable.

Some Double-barred Finch "TLC" - allopreening is part of a bonding ritual
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2023]

Some more Double-barred Finch "TLC" - allopreening is part of a bonding ritual
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2025]

"The seven dwarves" - Double-barred Finches huddled together at the end of a cold night; apart from keeping warm, huddling also strengthens bonds within the mob and can therefore be seen as part of a bonding ritual
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, August 2006]

Near-dorsal view of a single(!) Double-barred Finch having a snooze while sunbasking on a lawn
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, August 2006]

Near-lateral view of a Double-barred Finch looking out of its hideaway in dense growth along the side of a gravel road
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, March 2013]

Double-barred Finches belong to those birds that squat in a pool to take a bath and then wiggle their wings to spatter themselves with water.

Near-lateral view of a Double-barred Finch taking a bath
[Pilliga scrub, NSW, December 2011]

Frontal view of Double-barred Finches taking a bath
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, March 2007]

Mob of Double-barred Finches preening after a bath
[Killarney SCA, NSW, November 2019]

Food, Diet

Adults: Seeds

Dependents: Regurgitated seeds

Water intake: Daily

Like all other finches known to us, Double-barred Finches feed primarily on seeds. These include grass seeds and seeds of reeds.

When seeing a Double-barred Finch clinging to a wild sunflower stem, one may be misled into believing that it is after the sunflower's kernels, but these are too large for small finches; instead, the bird shown in the photo used the sunflower to gain access to grass seeds below
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2011]

Lateral view of a Double-barred Finch feeding on seeds (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, February 2022]

Two views of a Double-barred Finch nibbling on grass seeds
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, June 2012]

This photo suggests that Double-barred Finches do not only take seeds, but also fresh shoots of shrubs
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[The Spit, Gold Coast, QLD, October 2015]

Frontal view of a Double-barred Finch taking a flying ant (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, December 2020]

Frontal view of a Double-barred Finch with the body of a flying ant stuck to its bill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, December 2020]

Lateral view of a Double-barred Finch foraging in grass not for seeds, but waiting for flying ants to rise from the ground
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, December 2020]

Lateral view of a Double-barred Finch with a flying ant it has just caught (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, December 2020]

Especially outside the breeding season Double-barred Finches can be seen feeding in flocks; here a small part of a flock of nearly 100 birds feeding on seeds
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2016]

Lateral view of a small mob of Double-barred Finches foraging on the ground (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, October 2017]

Lateral view of a Double-barred Finch approaching a waterhole
[Pilliga scrub, NSW, December 2011]

Close-up lateral view of a Double-barred Finch taking a good mouthful
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, March 2024]

Close-up lateral view of a Double-barred Finch drinking water
[Near Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, April 2026]

Double-barred Finches and Peaceful Doves at a man-made waterhole (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

dbfinch_20231203.m4a	bichenovii (NW NSW)	Contact call	© MD
dbfinch_20191004.m4a	bichenovii (NW NSW)	Contact calls	© MD
dbfinch_20250805_2.m4a	bichenovii (NW NSW)	Contact calls + departure	© MD
dbfinch_20240430.m4a	bichenovii (NW NSW)	Warning + contact calls + departure	© MD
dbfinch_20190228.m4a	bichenovii (NW NSW)	?	© MD
dbfinch_20250226.m4a	bichenovii (NW NSW)	?	© MD
dbfinch_20140817_2.m4a	annulosa (Top End, NT)	Contact call	© MD
dbfinch_20140817.m4a	annulosa (Top End, NT)	Various	© MD
dbfinch_20140817_3.m4a	annulosa (Top End, NT)	Various + departure	© MD
dbfinch_20140817_4.m4a	annulosa (Top End, NT)	Unsettled	© MD

We have also been able to record the wing beats of Double-barred Finches.

dbfinch_20250805.m4a

bichenovii (NW NSW)

Various calls + departure

© MD

More Double-barred Finch sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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