Erythrura gouldiae
Silhouette: Jim Bendon (photography) and T. Michael Keesey (vectorization) · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The Gouldian finch (Chloebia gouldiae), also known as the Gould's finch or the rainbow finch, is a colourful passerine bird that is native to Australia. The Gouldian finch was described by British ornithologist John Gould in 1844 as Amadina gouldiae, in honour of his deceased wife Elizabeth. Specimens of the bird were sent to him by British naturalist Benjamin Bynoe, although they had been described some years before by French naturalists Jacques Bernard Hombron and Honoré Jacquinot. It is also known as the rainbow finch, Gould's finch, or sometimes just Gould. The Gouldian finch is sister to the parrotfinches in the genus Erythrura.
Both sexes are brightly coloured with black, green, yellow, and red markings. The females tend to be less brightly coloured. One major difference between the sexes is that the male's chest is purple, while the female's is a lighter mauve.
Gouldian finches are about 125–140 mm (4.9–5.5 in) long. Their heads may be red, black, or yellow. Formerly considered three different kinds of finches, it is now known that these are colour variants of one species that exist in the wild. Selective breeding has also developed mutations... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gouldian Finch sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 173rd most-seen of the 186 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gouldian Finch in Kakadu National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season. February has too few records to rate.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gouldian Finch sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Gouldian Finch sightings, Kakadu National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Nitmiluk National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Estrildidae
The closest relatives of the Gouldian Finch that you can see in Kakadu National Park (family Estrildidae, Waxbills and Allies) are Crimson Finch (about 30%), Double-barred Finch (about 30%) and Long-tailed Finch (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gouldian Finch is recorded against all the birds logged in Kakadu National Park (10 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.
