'' Poephila '' is an Australian genus of
estrildid finches.
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. 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
The masked finch (''Poephila personata'') is a small passerine bird in the estrildid finch family, Estrildidae. It is a common resident of dry savannah across northern Australia, from the Kimberley, across the Top End, the Gulf country and the s ...
''.
Species
The genus is recognised as containing the following species:
References
* Clement, Harris and Davis, ''Finches and Sparrows''
Bird genera
Estrildidae
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