Taeniopygia bichenovii
Silhouette: Jim Bendon (photography) and T. Michael Keesey (vectorization) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The double-barred finch (Stizoptera bichenovii) is an estrildid finch found in dry savannah, tropical (lowland) dry grassland and shrubland habitats in northern and eastern Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Bicheno's finch or as the owl finch, the latter of which owing to the dark ring of feathers around the face. It is the only species placed in the genus Stizoptera.
The double-barred finch was formally described in 1827 by the naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield from specimens collected near Shoalwater Bay and Broad Sound in Queensland, Australia. They coined the binomial name Fringilla bichenovii. The species was formerly placed in the genus Taeniopygia. A molecular phylogenetic study of the Estrildidae published in 2020 found that the genus Taeniopygia was not monophyletic. In the reorganization to create monophyletic genera, the double-barred finch was moved to the resurrected genus Stizoptera that had been introduced in 1899 by the American ornithologist Harry C. Oberholser. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek stizō meaning "to tattoo" with pteron meaning "wing". The specific epithet commemorates James Ebenezer Bicheno, a colonial secretary... Wikipedia →
Recording0:31
Australia · 2023
© deborod · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Australia · 2023
© sandra · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Australia · 2026
© halobaena · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Indianapolis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Ueno Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 7 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Helsingborgs Djur- och Lekpark | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 9 | National Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Aquarium Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 11 | Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Butterfly World | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Double-barred Finch sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 519 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 52nd most-seen of the 186 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September and November–January
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Double-barred Finch in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March and May, the lowest months. Those are among Kakadu National Park's wettest months, with about 190 mm of rain a month against almost none in August. February has too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Double-barred Finch sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Double-barred Finch sightings, Kakadu National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Nitmiluk National Park (Australia, about 30%).
Same family: Estrildidae
The closest relatives of the Double-barred Finch that you can see in Kakadu National Park (family Estrildidae, Waxbills and Allies) are Crimson Finch (about 30%), Long-tailed Finch (about 20%) and Masked Finch (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Double-barred Finch is recorded against all the birds logged in Kakadu National Park (519 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
