Diamond Firetail

The diamond firetail is one of the largest of the Australian finches by both weight (15–19 g) and wingspan (64–71 mm). eBird describes the firetail having an olive back and grey head. The belly and throat are white with a complete black band. The flanks are black with distinctive white spots. The rump is bright red and the tip of the tail is black. The rump is also described as scarlet by some authors. Juvenile diamond firetails are duller than the adults and have a black bill. The rump is very distinctive in flight. These birds are generally seen in pairs or small flocks, sometimes up to a hundred birds. The birds fly low and in long lines.

The diamond firetail has a patchy distribution from Southeast Queensland to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The Australian Bird Guide shows its core distribution from southern Queensland (just north in Inglewood) through to Victoria and around the coast to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and the eBird distribution is similar. Birdlife Australia has a more extensive distribution from the Carnarvon Ranges in Queensland to the Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island which is broader than other references. This broader distribution reflects the historic range of the bird based on the surveys done for The Atlas of Australian Birds. The species was recorded as far north as the Kirrama Tableland in North Queensland in 1917, as a "new record for the district". The bird is mostly sedentary and lives in open grassy eucalypt forest and woodland, heath, mallee country, farmland and grassland with scattered trees. The bird's habitat has been threatened by alteration of vegetation structure caused by over-grazing, weed invasion, salinisation and other flow-on processes. This loss of main food plants and habitat results in competition with invasive species, and increased predation.

Diamond firetails are ground feeders with a diet of grass seeds; ripe or partially ripe. They have also been observed eating insects and larvae. While feeding they will be seen hopping on the ground but if disturbed they will fly into nearby trees.

The birds will eat lettuce, spinach, chickweed, spray millet, eggfood, broccoli tops, sprouted seed, meal worms, small cockroaches, small crickets, hulled oats and carrot tops.

The striking plumage of the diamond firetails make them popular in aviculture. However, they are not particularly suited for inexperienced keepers as they are hard to breed, are assertive in behaviour, and are difficult to sex. In some Australian states, strict licensing requirements apply.

Mutations. There are few mutations in the diamond firetail. However, one mutation produces an orange tail instead of the fiery red. In this case the bird is known as the yellow diamond. Other mutations are the pied diamond which has splashes of white, the white diamond, and the fawn diamond.

Nutrition. The birds will eat lettuce, spinach, chickweed, spray millet, eggfood, broccoli tops, sprouted seed, meal worms, small cockroaches, small crickets, hulled oats and carrot tops.