This is my first sighting of these pretty little birds. A male and a female Zebra Finch were flitting around a bush at Red Top lookout, near the Walls of China in Mungo National Park. The male is hidden behind the twigs on the left, while the female is more visible on the right of the photo.

These birds like to hang around scrublands and salt marshes, but they also like to have water close by. I was surprised at how much water and greenery there was in the Outback areas that we visited. Lake Mungo itself is pretty much dried out (has been so for more than ten thousand years), but there were even puddles of water next to the sand dunes of the Walls of China.

Common name: Zebra Finch
Scientific name: Taeniopygia guttata
Approximate length: 10 cm
Date spotted: 20 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: Red Top lookout, Mungo National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°47’19.2″S 143°06’47.9″E