Red-browed Finch

1. Red eyebrow stripe above the eye

2. Red bill and rump, contrasting with olive-green and grey plumage

3. Juveniles have a dark bill and lack the red eyebrow

These finches are highly social, usually seen in flocks of 10–20 birds, though larger groups can form outside the breeding season. Their diet consists mainly of grass and sedge seeds, but they may also eat berries and insects. Red-browed Firetails build large, dome-shaped nests with side entrances, typically in dense shrubs about two to three meters above ground. Both parents participate in building the nest, incubating eggs, and feeding the chicks. They may breed several times between October and April, and their populations are stable with no major threats currently identified.

Red-browed Firetails are common in eastern and southeastern Australia, from Cape York in Queensland to the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia, mostly east of the Great Dividing Range. They prefer grassy areas with dense shrubs or undergrowth, especially near creeks, forest edges, and even in weedy urban spaces such as railway embankments. They are most active and visible during early morning and late afternoon.