Southern Black-throated Finch  |  

At the species level, the Black-throated Finch is a sleek but thickset grass-finch, which measures approximately 12 cm in length, and weighs approximately 15 g. It has a grey head and neck, with a short black loral stripe, and a conspicuous, large black ‘bib’ over the chin, throat and upper breast. The bill is short, thick, conical and coloured black. The eye is a dark reddish-brown. The breast, back, and most of the belly, are brown. The wings are a darker shade of brown, and when folded have a narrow white stripe along the leading edge. The rump and the tail, which is short and rather rounded or square-tipped, are both black. The lower underbody is white, but with a black patch on the rear flanks. The legs and feet are a bright pinkish-red. Juveniles appear very similar to adults, but with duller colouring (Higgins et al. 2006a). The subspecies can be distinguished primarily by the colouring of the upper-tail coverts; these are white in the southern subspecies, black in the northern subspecies, and of intermediate colour in hybrid birds (Ford 1986; Higgins et al. 2006a; Keast 1958; Zann 1976). The brown plumage of the body is also said to be richer in the southern subspecies than in the northern subspecies (BTF Recovery Team 2004; Schodde & Mason 1999). The Black-throated Finch (southern) is gregarious, occurring mostly in twos or small flocks of up to 20 birds, or sometimes in larger flocks of up to 160 birds (Britton & Britton 2000; Hall 1974; Lavery & Hopkins 1963; Longmore 1978; Lord 1956; Mitchell 1996; NRA 2005). It has been seen to associate with Double-barred Finches (Taeniopygia bichenovii) (Wheeler 1959b) and Plum-headed Finches (Neochmia modesta) (Morris & Burton 1994). The Black-throated Finch (southern) breeds in colonies, with individual nests separated from one another by distances of up to 50 m (NRA 2005).