Erythrura gouldiae
Silhouette: Jim Bendon (photography) and T. Michael Keesey (vectorization) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gouldian Finch sighting in Nitmiluk National Park on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 68th most-seen of the 103 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Gouldian Finch in Nitmiluk National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May, July–August, October and December, the lowest months. That is one of Nitmiluk National Park's wettest months, with about 270 mm of rain against almost none in August.
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.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Gouldian Finch sightings, Nitmiluk National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Kakadu National Park (Australia, under 5%).
Same family: Estrildidae
The closest relatives of the Gouldian Finch that you can see in Nitmiluk National Park (family Estrildidae, Waxbills and Allies) are Double-barred Finch (about 30%), Crimson Finch (about 10%) 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 Gouldian Finch is recorded against all the birds logged in Nitmiluk National Park (26 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.
