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24

Plum-headed Finch

(Neochmia modesta)
Alternate name(s): "Plum-capped Finch", "Plumhead", "Modest Finch", "Cherry Finch", "Plain-coloured Finch", "Diadem Finch"
Size: 11-12 cm
Weight: 12-13 g
Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Plum-headed Finch at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

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ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of a male Plum-headed Finch studying the observer (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Pilliga scrub, NSW, December 2020]

Frontal view of two male Plum-headed Finches looking sideways (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Pilliga scrub, NSW, December 2020]

Near-frontal view of a male Plum-headed Finch
[Yarrie Lake, NSW, June 2020]

Near-frontal/lateral view of two male Plum-headed Finches
[Pilliga scrub, NSW, January 2021]

Lateral view of a male Plum-headed Finch
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, March 2013]

Near-dorsal view of a male Plum-headed Finch
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2009]

Dorsal view of a male Plum-headed Finch
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2009]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Plum-headed Finch stretching a wing (photo courtesy of R. Druce)

Near-frontal view of a female Plum-headed Finch
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2009]

Near-frontal view of a female Plum-headed Finch (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Near-frontal/ventral view of a female Plum-headed Finch (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2020]

Lateral view of a female Plum-headed Finch (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Lateral view of a female Plum-headed Finch
[Yarrie Lake, NSW, April 2021]

Lateral view of a female Plum-headed Finch (photo courtesy of R. Druce)

Lateral view of a female Plum-headed Finch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)

Near-dorsal view of a female Plum-headed Finch (photo courtesy of R. Druce)

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a female Plum-headed Finch; in this image one can see the bird's dotted rump
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2009]

Dorsal view of a somewhat ruffled female Plum-headed Finch
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2009]

PAIR

Pair of Plum-headed Finches in high reeds; male on top, female below
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2009]

Near-frontal view of a pair of Plum-headed Finches - male in front, female close behind
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2009]

Lateral view of a pair of Plum-headed Finches; male below, female above
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, May 2017]

Pair of Plum-headed Finches, female on the left
[Yarrie Lake, NSW, April 2021]

Sex unknown

Plum-headed Finches foraging on the ground (photo courtesy of R. Druce)

Part of a flock of about 150 Plum-headed Finches (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Part of a flock of Plum-headed Finches taking a bath in a puddle, together with Zebra Finches (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Terry Hie Hie, NSW, February 2014]

Part of a flock of Plum-headed Finches taking off
[Near Narrabri, NSW, August 2017]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Female Plum-headed Finch (right) with a juvenile bird (left), in reeds
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, March 2009]

Frontal view of a juvenile Plum-headed Finch
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, March 2009]

Frontal view of two immature Plum-headed Finches hiding in reeds (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Plum-headed Finch
[Yarrie Lake, NSW, June 2020]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Plum-headed Finch
[Yarrie Lake, NSW, June 2020]

Near-frontal view of a somewhat older immature Plum-headed Finch
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, March 2009]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a juvenile Plum-headed Finch; this photo in particular shows up very clearly the similarity with Indian Silverbills
[February 2011]

Lateral view of a juvenile Plum-headed Finch
[Near Narrabri, NSW, February 2012]

Dorsal view of a juvenile Plum-headed Finch
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, March 2009]

Dorsal view of a juvenile Plum-headed Finch feeding on grass seeds
[Yarrie Lake, NSW, April 2021]

Dependent juvenile Plum-headed Finch begging to be fed
[New Quipolly Dam, near, NSW, June 2019]

Dependent juvenile Plum-headed Finch being fed fed first by pop...
[New Quipolly Dam, near, NSW, June 2019]

... then by mom
[New Quipolly Dam, near, NSW, June 2019]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Oct - Apr Eggs: 4 - 6 Incubation period: 12 - 14 days Fledging age: 21 days

Nest

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

Type: Dome Material: Grass with feather lining Height above ground <2 m

View into the nest of a pair of Plum-headed Finches attached to the lower parts of a thistle
[Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, NSW, December 2022]

Sideways view of the nest of a pair of Plum-headed Finches attached to the lower parts of a thistle
[Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, NSW, December 2022]

Near-frontal view of a male Plum-headed Finch staying near its nest while the female was inside
[Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, NSW, December 2022]

Admittedly, the nest of the Plum-headed Finch is not visible in this photo, because we could not approach it without disturbing the birds, but we saw an adult bird (or two adults) entering and leaving these two grass tussocks frequently; the nest entrance is most likely in between the tussocks
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, January 2008]

Eggs

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

Size: 17 x 12 mm Colour: White Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal Mobility: Dispersive Elementary unit: FLock

All species of finches known to us are highly sociable.

Plum-headed Finches can often be found in tall reeds, in particular when they have mature seeds
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, May 2017]

Plum-headed Finch high up in a treetop
[Near Narrabri, NSW, February 2012]

Family of Plum-headed Finches in the top of a dead tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2009]

Plum-headed Finches can come in substantial flocks
[Near Narrabri, NSW, May 2021]

Like many (if not all) finches, Plum-headed Finches are highly sociable and seek safety in numbers - from perches in trees they descend to lower perches, from where they go to ground to forage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2017]

While foraging on the ground, Plum-headed Finches leave sentries somewhere nearby...
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2017]

... and as soon as there is a sign of trouble, they all go back up into the nearest tree and the whole cycle starts again
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2017]

Food, Diet

Adults: Seeds Dependents: Regurgitated seeds Water intake: Daily

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

Lateral view of a male Plum-headed Finch feeding on weed seeds
[Yarrie Lake, NSW, June 2020]

Female Plum-headed Finch, left, and juvenile feeding on the fine shoots of newly emerging plants
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, June 2020]

Juvenile Plum-headed Finch feeding on the fine shoots of newly emerging plants
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, June 2020]

Female Plum-headed Finch with a seed stuck to its bill
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2013]

Pair of Plum-headed Finches foraging for seeds in grassland
[Eulah Creek, NSW, February 2013]

Plum-headed Finches foraging for seeds in grassland (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Terry Hie Hie, NSW, July 2013]

Female Plum-headed Finch searching for seeds on the ground; note the faint-brown spot in front of the eye
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2009]

Male Plum-headed Finch using a shrub to reach the seeds of tall grass
[Pallamallawa, NSW, April 2014]

Plum-headed Finches using a fence to reach the seeds of tall grass
[Tiger Bay Wetlands, Warren, NSW, December 2016]

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.

plumhed_20200609_1.m4a (NW NSW) Contact call © MD
plumhed_20200114.m4a (NW NSW) Contact calls (flock in-flight) © MD
plumhed_20200609_4.m4a (NW NSW) Warning/departure © MD
plumhed_20151222_2.m4a (NW NSW) Pair Q&A (in-flight) © MD
plumhed_20200609_3.m4a (NW NSW) Various (feeding mob) © MD
plumhed_20200609_2.m4a (NW NSW) Various (feeding mob) © MD
plumhed_20200609.m4a (NW NSW) Various (feeding mob) © MD
plumhed_vc_20200628.m4a (NW NSW) Various (mob) © VRC

More Plum-headed 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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.