Double-barred finch

The double-barred finch (Stizoptera bichenovii) is an estrildid finch found in dry savannah, tropical (lowland) dry grassland and shrubland habitats in northern and eastern Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Bicheno's finch or as the owl finch, the latter of which owing to the dark ring of feathers around the face.

Double-barred finch
Glen Davis, New South Wales, Australia
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae
Genus: Stizoptera
Oberholser, 1899
Species:
S. bichenovii
Binomial name
Stizoptera bichenovii
(Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)
Subspecies

See text

Synonyms

Taeniopygia bichenovii (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)

Taxonomy

Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield described the double-barred finch in 1827. The specific epithet commemorates James Ebenezer Bicheno, a colonial secretary of Van Diemen's Land appointed in September 1842. There are two subspecies:

  • Stizoptera bichenovii bichenovii of eastern Australia
  • Stizoptera bichenovii annulosa of northern and northwestern Australia, described by John Gould in 1840.[2]

The origin and phylogeny of Estrildinae was studied by Antonio Arnaiz-Villena and colleagues who suggested that the subfamily may have originated in India and dispersed thereafter (towards Africa and Pacific Ocean habitats).[3]

Description

The double-barred finch is a 10–11 cm long munia-like bird. It has a white face bordered with black, brown upperparts and throat, and white underparts. The throat and underparts are separated by another black line. The wings are patterned in brown and white. The sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller and browner. A less common subspecies with brown or black underparts is known to exist.[2]

Behaviour

The double-barred finch is granivorous and highly gregarious. Nests are built in grass, bushes or low trees, with four to six eggs laid per clutch. The call is a soft tet or a louder peew, and the song is a soft fluting, which is somewhat like the zebra finch.[2]

  • Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia
    Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia
  • Gregory River, Queensland
    Gregory River, Queensland
  • South-east Queensland, Australia
  • Nesting in captivity
    Nesting in captivity

References
  1. BirdLife International. (2016). "Taeniopygia bichenovii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22719682A94639041. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22719682A94639041.en. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  2. Payne, R. B. (2021). Double-barred Finch (Stizoptera bichenovii), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.dobfin1.01.1
  3. Arnaiz-Villena, A; Ruiz-del-Valle V; Gomez-Prieto P; Reguera R; Parga-Lozano C; Serrano-Vela I (2009). "Estrildinae finches (Aves, Passeriformes) from Africa, South Asia and Australia: a molecular phylogeographic study". The Open Ornithology Journal. 2: 29–36. doi:10.2174/1874453200902010029.
  • Finches and Sparrows by Clement, Harris and Davis, ISBN 0-7136-8017-2
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