A small brownish bird with gray head, black throat, narrow black lores, very long black tail, and either a red bill (Northern Territory) or pale yellow bill (Western Australia).
Not listed
Endemic to Australia
Indigenous: Ninin
At a glance
FamilyWaxbills and Allies
SizeTiny
RarityCommon
HabitatMarine and coastal; usually found over open ocean, offshore waters, islands, headlands, and other coastal areas.
Best timeMost reliable in Northern Territory from June to September.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by James Lambert
Range map
Range map
1045visible hotspots
16857visible records
4states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Note white rump in flight. Juveniles similar but duller, with dark bill. Compare with Masked Finch, which has black mask and lacks gray head.
Gallery
Regional timing
Northern Territory
Queensland
Western Australia
New South Wales