Finch - Lady Gouldian

The Lady Gouldian Finch originates across northern Australia from Derby in the west across to Cape York Peninsula. Their range in recent times has shrunk dramatically.

It is believed that less than 2,500 mature Gouldians exist in the wild.

In 1841 the English Ornithologist, John Gould, while on an Australian expedition came across what most believe to be the most beautiful finch in the world. John Gould named this magnificent finch, "The Lady Gouldian", to honor his artist wife, Lady Elizabeth Gould.

Male: Weight 15 grams. The head is black, (dominant coloration of wild populations) red or yellow. The upper breast is a rich velvet lilac. The lower breast, upper belly and flanks are a chrome yellow. The back and wings are grass-green. The rump and upper tail are cobalt blue. The black tail has two extended pin feathers at the central point. The beak is ivory with a red or yellow tip on the male. Legs and feet are flesh-colored. The eyes are dark brown.
Female: The coloration is basically the same as that of the male, with the exception being that the colors, overall, are a more subdued version. She is duller with a noticeably paler chest and belly color. The beak turns grey/black during breeding. Some females have the chest color almost as intense as males, and these strains are highly sought after by the avicultural purists.

This information was taken from www.ladygouldianfinch.com

At Cub Creek Science Camp we have a female Lady Gouldian finch.  She is not as colorful as the male of that species but still a very pretty bird.  The Goulds have probably the most variety of colors on an individual bird of all the finches.  They look like layers of brightly colored ice cream.  Here are some variety of colors that can be seen on a Gouldian Finch.

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