Poephila personata
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The masked finch (Poephila personata) is a small passerine bird in the estrildid finch family, Estrildidae. It is a common resident of dry savannah across northern Australia, from the Kimberley, across the Top End, the Gulf country and the southern part of Cape York Peninsula, as far east as Chillagoe, but always near water.
The masked finch is 12.5–13.5 cm (4.9–5.3 in) long. The male is larger, but the sexes are otherwise similar. It is cinnamon-brown above and paler below with a white rump, black mark on the flanks and black face mask. It has a heavy yellow bill and a pointed black tail.
Pairs or small flocks of masked finches forage through the day, mostly on the ground for grass seeds. In the evenings and early mornings, large numbers—sometimes thousands— can gather around waterholes to drink, cleanse, and preen, flicking their tails sideways and chattering incessantly.
Pairs build a domed nest from grasses, lined with fine grass, feathers, and charcoal, in the late wet or early dry season. The nest position varies: it can be as high as 20 metres (66 ft) or simply hidden in long grass. Five... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Caversham Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Masked 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 64th 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 Masked Finch in Nitmiluk National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, June–July and October–November, 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 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Masked 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 2 parks where we can rate Masked Finch sightings, Nitmiluk National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Masked 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.
