Abstract
Parrot Finches belong to the family
Estrildidae and are distributed
through a rather small range in the
Indo Pacific region. There are 11
species of parrot finch, but most of
my experience has been with the
Red-headed Parrot Finch, Erythrura
psittacea, found only in New Caledonia
and neighboring islands in the
Pacific. New Caledonia has the
warm, moist climate of a tropical rain
forest and the plant material is rich
and varied. The Red-headed Parrot
Finch is not a grassland bird, but
enjoys a forest habitat where it
forages for herbaceous seeds, fruits
and insects.
The Red-headed Parrot Finch has a
beautiful color scheme with the head
and throat being bright red, the body
bright green and the rump and upper
tail coverts red also. The female's red
parts are usually less extensive and
less bright when compared with the
male's. The throat color of a breeding
hen is a softer red than in the male.
The females usually have less red on
the forehead and it does not extend
as high on the crown. However,
there is a great deal of individual variation
in my pairs. I have proven hens
with little or no red above the eye
and other proven hens with red
extending well above the eye, making
sexing difficult. The young are
color-banded according to heritage
for this reason.
The fledglings are a dull green
color, but easier to sex than the
adults. The males have a smudge of
yellow-orange on the throat while
the hens are just a lighter green color
on the throat. The age of the birds
has a great deal to do with the successful
sexing of the parrot finch. I
believe the hens color up faster than
the males and at three to four months
of age, the hens will appear to be
brighter in color. The males, by this
time, will be singing their lovely, long
trills at dusk if there are other parrot
finches within hearing distance to
impress.