Gouldian Finch bounces Back!

Gouldian Finch

The endangered Gouldian finch is back breeding at Mareeba. A recent sighting of a tagged finch feeding along the Barron River has given conservationists fresh hope the brightly coloured bird was breeding in the region after 50 years. Before the 1960s, the finch was a common sight in Australia's tropical savannahs and as far east as the Clohesy River between Kuranda and Mareeba but numbers have hit catastrophic lows. Wildlife Conservancy of Tropical Queensland spokesperson Gwyneth Nevard said numbers in the wild were now believed to be as low as 2500. "For several years staff and volunteers of the conservancy at the Mareeba Wetlands have been breeding and releasing the critically endangered finch into the wild, relying on locals and birders to report sightings," she said. Ms Nevard said not only had the birds survived in the wild for nearly two years but the presence of unbranded juveniles proves they are breeding. The Gouldian finch is easily identified by its green back, yellow and white underparts and sky-blue rump. Males have a purple breast and the females pink and the head is usually black but it can also be red or orange. Anyone spotting a Gouldian finch is urged to call the Wildlife Conservancy of Tropical Queensland on 040 893 303. *Cairns Post


Meanwhile a new study has found that the pied flycather calls up a mob of other flycachers to drive an intruding bird away, but remembers the birds who helped, and repays each bird in kind. Apparently some birds have even learned that “play¬ing nice pays.” http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/080706_flycatcher.htm