| Actual Image
Long tail finch (28)
darwin
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 260 W: 0 N: 403]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif) (1393) | Other Names; Shaft tail finch,Black hearts
Physical descriptions
Grey head, black "bib" extending from chin to the throat, black markings extending from each side of the beak to the eye, brown back and wings, pinkish-brown colored breast and belly, black thighs, white rump, black tail with long tail wires, orange legs. The Long-tailed grassfinch has a yellow beak, and the Heck's grassfinch (which is considered the subspecies) has a red beak (although sometimes it is more orange, probably due to indiscriminate mating of the subspecies to the nominate form). Juveniles emerge from the nest with a black beak, flesh-colored legs and feet, a smaller bib than the adult, and with duller plumage overall.
Parsons Finch Several mutations exist including: fawn (which is a paler, more tawny brown version overall, where even the black of the throat eyes and thighs becomes more of a dark brown), cream (the entire bird becomes shades of off-white, with the exceptions of the black areas on the normal bird which are more of a light brown color), white (the entire bird is white and the normally black markings are hardly visible), and pied.
The Shaft-tail finch looks very similar to a separate species called the Parson's Finch (P. cincta), but can be differentiated from the Parson's by the color of the bill. The Shaft-tail will have a yellow, orange, or red bill, whereas the Parson's Finch has a black bill. The Parson's Finch also has a shorter tail. |
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