Estrildidae, or estrildid finches, is a family of small seed-eating passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They comprise species commonly known as munias, mannikins, firefinches, parrotfinches and waxbills. Despite the word "finch" being included in the common names of some species, they are not closely related to birds with this name in other families, such as the Fringillidae, Emberizidae or Passerellidae.
Estrildidae
Image: Pictorella munia taronga zoo
Image: Mountain Firetail
Image: Stagonopleura bella female Melaleuca
The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches generally have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usually resident and do not migrate. They have a worldwide native distribution except for Australia and the polar regions. The family Fringillidae contains more than two hundred species divided into fifty genera. It includes the canaries, siskins, redpolls, serins, grosbeaks and euphonias, as well as the morphologically divergent Hawaiian honeycreepers.
Image: Pyrrhula pyrrhula female 2
Image: Bullfinch male
Euphonias, like this thick-billed euphonia, were once treated as tanagers instead of finches.
American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) male (left) and female (right) in Johnston County, North Carolina, USA
