'' Poephila '' is an Australian genus of

estrildid finch Estrildidae, or estrildid finches, is a family of small seed-eating passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They comprise species commonly known as munias, mannikins, firefinches, parrotfinches and waxbills. Despite the word "fi ...

es. The adults have pinkish underparts, buff or brown upperparts, a black tail and lower belly, and white rumps uppertail coverts and undertail coverts. Males and females closely resemble each other, although the male is a little larger. These are birds of dry open grassland, occurring from the north-west to the eastern coast of Australia. They glean seed from the ground or seed-heads of grasses, occasionally supplementing their diet with insects.

Taxonomy

The first description was presented to the Linnean Society by

John Gould John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist. He published a number of monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, including Edward Lear, ...

. and published in 1842. He assigned the species ''

Poephila acuticauda The long-tailed finch (''Poephila acuticauda'') is a common species of estrildid finch found in northern Australia, from the Kimberley region to the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is a predominantly fawn-coloured bird with a pale grey head and prominent ...

'' as the type, a description he had published several years before as ''Amadina acuticauda'', and gave a description for '' Poephila personata''.

Species

The genus is recognised as containing the following species:

References

* Clement, Harris and Davis, ''Finches and Sparrows'' Bird genera Estrildidae ^ {{Estrildidae-stub