Bird Album
Masked Finch
Poephila personata Gould, 1842
12–14 cmLength13 gWeight
The masked finch (Poephila personata) is a small passerine bird in the estrildid finch family, Estrildidae.
Busiest months: July–August and October · Most records: Australia
Where and when it's recorded
Masked Finch has been recorded at 10 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Muirhead bushlandAustralia836 records
- Cumberland DamAustralia363 records
- Holmes Jungle Nature ReserveAustralia176 records
More places
- Fogg Dam Conservation ReserveAustralia31 records
- Kakadu National Park – Yellow WaterAustralia24 records
- Leanyer PondsAustralia23 records
- East PointAustralia16 records
- Buffalo CreekAustralia4 records
- George Brown Darwin Botanic GardensAustralia1 record
- Katherine Wastewater Treatment PlantAustralia1 record
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
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 southern part of Cape York Peninsula, as far east as Chillagoe, but always near water.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Masked Finch?
The Masked Finch is about 12–14 cm long and weighs around 13 g.
Where does the Masked Finch live?
Its breeding range: Australasia: northern Australia. It is most often recorded in Australia.
When is the best time to see the Masked Finch?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July, August and October (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Masked Finch endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Masked Finch as Least Concern.
What does the Masked Finch eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the Masked Finch in?
It belongs to the family Waxbills, Munias & Allies (Estrildidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 12–14 cm
- Weight
- 13 g
- Habitat
- Woodland
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 59 mm
- Tail
- 52 mm
- Bill
- 12 mm
- Tarsus
- 15 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Australasia: northern Australia
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Waxbills, Munias & Allies Estrildidae
- Genus
- Poephila
Other birds in the genus Poephila
Long-tailed FinchPoephila acuticauda
Black-throated FinchPoephila cincta
Pictorella MannikinHeteromunia pectoralis
Mountain FiretailOreostruthus fuliginosus
Diamond FiretailStagonopleura guttata
Red-eared FiretailStagonopleura oculata
Beautiful FiretailStagonopleura bella
Crimson FinchNeochmia phaeton
Red-browed FinchNeochmia temporalis
Painted FinchEmblema pictum
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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗
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