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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Estrildidae
  4. ›
  5. Stagonopleura
  6. ›
  7. Diamond Firetail
Diamond Firetail
Photo · (c) Nicole Kearney, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Diamond Firetail

Stagonopleura guttata(Shaw, 1796)

Updated 21 March 2026

Conservation status: Least ConcernOrigin: Endemic
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Estrildidae
Genus
Stagonopleura

At a glance

The Diamond Firetail is a tiny bird, about 10–13 cm long, listed as Least Concern and endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
10–13 cm
Conservation status
Least Concern
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Endemic
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Diamond Firetail look like?

The Diamond Firetail is a tiny bird, about 10–13 cm long and weighing 11–23 g.

The diamond firetail is a species of estrildid finch that is endemic to Australia. It has a patchy distribution and generally occupies drier forests and grassy woodlands west of the Great Dividing Range from South East Queensland to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. While it is a small stocky bird it is one of the largest finches in Australia. The birds are very distinctive with a black breast-band on a white breast. The flanks are black with white spots and it has a scarlet rump and a black tail.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
10–13 cm
Weight
11–23 g
Wingspan
20 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Diamond Firetail?

The Diamond Firetail is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Diamond Firetail eat?

The Diamond Firetail feeds on seeds, usually foraging in flocks.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

5 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Diamond Firetail live in Australia?

The Diamond Firetail is endemic to Australia, recorded across 29 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingSouth-east QLD, east NSW, VIC and south-central SA (east-central to south-central Australia)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Vagrant

8 regions recorded