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What the sources say

Gouldian FinchChloebia gouldiae

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Gouldian Finch profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 53 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Gouldian Finch. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

The page sayschicks hatch with light-reflecting beak nodules that help their parents feed them in a dark hollow
The source saysthey hatch without any feathers or down, and with blue, pearlescent (not "fluorescent") papillae, or nodules, at the corners of their beak. These reflect light (as opposed to emitting their own light) and help the parents find the hungry mouths in the dark.Note: tagline
The page saysEucalypt savanna near water
The source saysGouldian finches are never far from water, preferring open grassy plains with scattered tall smooth-barked Eucalyptus trees.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysin the Northern Territory and Kimberley region of northern Australia
The source saysthe Gouldian finch is restricted to small and isolated populations in the Northern Territory and Kimberley regions of Western Australia.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysGrass seeds, picked from the ground in the dry season, with sorghum seed important in the wet season
The source saysThe Gouldian finch is a seed eater. During Australia’s dry season, they forage on the ground for fallen grass seeds. During the wet season, an important part of the Gouldian’s diet is the sorghum seed.Note: stats.diet; from the current SDZ page rather than Tidemann 1996
The page sayschick beak nodules that reflect light to help parents feed them in the dark
The source saysthey hatch without any feathers or down, and with blue, pearlescent (not "fluorescent") papillae, or nodules, at the corners of their beak. These reflect light (as opposed to emitting their own light) and help the parents find the hungry mouths in the dark.Note: stats.superpower
The page saysmeasures just 14 to 15 centimeters (5.5 to 6 inches) long
The source saysLength: 5.5 to 6 inches (14 to 15 centimeters)
The page saysweighs about 14 grams
The source saysWeight: .5 ounces (14 grams)
The page saysadults have a turquoise band across the back of the head, a light green nape and neck, a purple-blue back, and a yellow belly fading to white
The source saysAll have a wide turquoise band across the back of the head, and the nape and sides of the neck are a light green. The finch's back and wings are a purple-blue. The lower breast, sides of the body, and abdomen are yellow, fading to white.
The page saysmales carry a bright purple breast, while females wear a duller version of the same shade
The source saysAdult males have bright purple breast feathers, while adult females' are a dull purple.
The page saysFemales lay four to eight eggs per clutch
The source saysThe female lays four to eight eggs in a clutch
The page saysseveral pairs may crowd into the same tree
The source saysSeveral pairs may nest in the same tree.
The page saysNewly hatched chicks have no feathers, but the corners of their beaks carry pearlescent blue nodules
The source saysthey hatch without any feathers or down, and with blue, pearlescent (not "fluorescent") papillae, or nodules, at the corners of their beak. These reflect light (as opposed to emitting their own light) and help the parents find the hungry mouths in the dark.Note: blockquote
The page saysThese reflect light rather than giving off their own, and they help the parents find hungry chicks in the dark
The source saysthey hatch without any feathers or down, and with blue, pearlescent (not "fluorescent") papillae, or nodules, at the corners of their beak. These reflect light (as opposed to emitting their own light) and help the parents find the hungry mouths in the dark.Note: blockquote; 'rather than giving off their own' is SDZ's '(as opposed to emitting their own light)'
The page saysthe finches sometimes gather in flocks of several hundred
The source saysGouldian finches are highly social, sometimes forming flocks of several hundreds in the nonbreeding season.
The page saysThey are nomadic, wandering within a relatively small area when food or water grows scarce
The source saysThey are nomadic, wandering and traveling within a relatively small area when food or water becomes scarce.
The page saysstay alert for snakes, feral cats, and hawks, which all prey on them
The source saysthey must be on the alert for snakes, feral cats, and hawks, as all are Gouldian finch predators.
The page saysOnly males sing
The source saysOnly the male Gouldian finch sings.
The page saysthe flock otherwise usually communicates through trills, soft chirps, hisses, and clicks
The source saysThey usually communicate through a series of trills and soft chirps, hisses, and low-pitched clicking sounds.
The page saysThe San Diego Zoo names fire as the primary threat to the species, alongside habitat change from cattle grazing, wildfires and human development
The source saysFires are listed as the primary threat to the Gouldian finch ... Gouldian finches are also threatened by habitat modification due to cattle grazing, wildfires, and increasing human developments.

Source
02

AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources

Erythrura gouldiae. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

The page sayshas been recorded living up to 6 years in captivity
The source saysMaximum longevity 6 years (captivity)

Source
03

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022

Chloebia gouldiae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T22719744A211561819.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: stats.conservationStatus; assessed 2021 per the prefetch's Red List entry, read through GBIF's copy since iucnredlist.org refuses scripts
The page saysToday the IUCN Red List rates the species Least Concern, based on an assessment from 2021
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: current category from GBIF's copy of the Red List; assessed 2021 per the prefetch's Red List entry (BirdLife International 2021, published in the 2022-1 edition)
The page saysThe IUCN Red List's current listing, based on a 2021 assessment, puts the Gouldian finch in the Least Concern category rather than any threatened one
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: FAQ 4; current category from GBIF's copy; assessed 2021 per the prefetch

Source
04

Pryke & Griffith 2005

Pryke & Griffith (2005). Red dominates black: agonistic signalling among head morphs in the colour polymorphic Gouldian finch. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

The page saysone of three discrete, genetically inherited head colors: carotenoid-based red, melanin-based black, or yellow
The source saysa species displaying three completely discrete but naturally co-occurring genetically inherited phenotypes; yellow-, red- (carotenoid) and black-headed (melanin) morphs
The page saysA Finch in Three Head Colors
The source saysa species displaying three completely discrete but naturally co-occurring genetically inherited phenotypes; yellow-, red- (carotenoid) and black-headed (melanin) morphsNote: heading
The page saysThe color is not only cosmetic.
The source saysin staged dominance contests between unfamiliar birds of different head morphs, red-headed males dominated black-headed males, both of which dominated the yellow-headed birdsNote: transition sentence introducing the dominance-contest finding in the next sentence
The page saysIn staged contests between unfamiliar captive males, red-headed birds dominated black-headed birds, and both dominated yellow-headed birds
The source saysin staged dominance contests between unfamiliar birds of different head morphs, red-headed males dominated black-headed males, both of which dominated the yellow-headed birds
The page saysHead color is inherited, and the three morphs are completely discrete
The source saysa species displaying three completely discrete but naturally co-occurring genetically inherited phenotypes; yellow-, red- (carotenoid) and black-headed (melanin) morphsNote: FAQ 1
The page saysResearchers staged contests between captive males that were strangers to each other, and red heads came out on top of black heads, with both beating yellow heads
The source saysin staged dominance contests between unfamiliar birds of different head morphs, red-headed males dominated black-headed males, both of which dominated the yellow-headed birdsNote: FAQ 2; 'strangers' for 'unfamiliar'
The page saysWithin each color, the intensity and size of the ultraviolet-blue collar decided the outcome, and redder red-headed males beat duller ones
The source sayswithin morphs, the intensity and size of the strongly ultraviolet-blue collar determined the outcome of these contests, and among the red-headed males, redder males dominated less chromatic birdsNote: FAQ 2
The page saysEven when the researchers blackened a red-headed male's head, the naturally red-headed birds kept winning
The source sayswhen the dominance signal of red-headed birds was experimentally destabilized (i.e. blackened or reddened), naturally red-headed morphs continued to dominate both the black-and yellow-headed morphsNote: FAQ 2
The page saysIn a 2005 experiment, yes
The source saysHere, we experimentally tested the relative importance of a genetic colour polymorphism in determining male dominance in the Gouldian finchNote: FAQ 2; 2005 is the paper's publication year
The page saysin staged contests among captive birds, red-headed males dominated black-headed ones, and within each head color the intensity and size of the ultraviolet-blue collar decided who won.
The source saysred-headed males dominated black-headed males, both of which dominated the yellow-headed birds. Second, within morphs, the intensity and size of the strongly ultraviolet-blue collar determined the outcome of these contests
The page saysstaged contests among captive birds
The source saysMale dominance was assessed using captive birds (n=153) sourced from a large number of wild-type aviculturists throughout Australia.Note: vibe reason; methods, hand-cached from PMC1560236 (#991)
The page saysstaged contests between captive males
The source saysMale dominance was assessed using captive birds (n=153) sourced from a large number of wild-type aviculturists throughout Australia.Note: FAQ 2; methods, hand-cached from PMC1560236 (#991)
The page sayscontests between unfamiliar captive males
The source saysMale dominance was assessed using captive birds (n=153) sourced from a large number of wild-type aviculturists throughout Australia.Note: body; methods, hand-cached from PMC1560236 (#991)

Source
05

Toomey et al. 2018

Toomey et al. (2018). A non-coding region near Follistatin controls head colour polymorphism in the Gouldian finch. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

The page saysred or black head color traces to one stretch of DNA near the Follistatin gene
The source sayswe investigated the genetic basis of red and black head colour in the Gouldian finch ... the candidate locus is a small (approx. 70 kb) non-coding region mapping to the Z chromosome near the Follistatin (FST) geneNote: tagline; red and black only, since the study did not cover yellow
The page saysA small stretch of DNA near the Follistatin gene that sets red or black head color
The source sayswe investigated the genetic basis of red and black head colour in the Gouldian finch ... the candidate locus is a small (approx. 70 kb) non-coding region mapping to the Z chromosome near the Follistatin (FST) geneNote: stats.superpower; the title says the region 'controls head colour polymorphism'
The page saysThe switch between red and black heads traces to a small non-coding region of DNA, roughly 70,000 base pairs long, on the Z sex chromosome near a gene called Follistatin
The source sayswe investigated the genetic basis of red and black head colour in the Gouldian finch ... the candidate locus is a small (approx. 70 kb) non-coding region mapping to the Z chromosome near the Follistatin (FST) geneNote: 70 kb converted to 70,000 base pairs
The page saysComparing red-headed and black-headed birds turned up no structural rearrangement there
The source sayswe did not identify any structural rearrangements between the two haplotypes using linked-read sequencing technology.
The page saysthe red and black versions of that stretch differ far more than the rest of the Z chromosome does, which the researchers call consistent with both forms being maintained for several million years
The source saysNucleotide divergence between the red and black alleles was high when compared to the remainder of the Z chromosome, consistent with their maintenance as balanced polymorphisms over several million years.
The page saysA 2018 genetic study of the red and black forms pinned the difference to one candidate locus: about 70 kb of DNA that codes for no protein, lying near Follistatin on the Z chromosome
The source sayswe investigated the genetic basis of red and black head colour in the Gouldian finch ... the candidate locus is a small (approx. 70 kb) non-coding region mapping to the Z chromosome near the Follistatin (FST) geneNote: FAQ 1; non-coding rendered as 'codes for no protein'
The page saysIts red and black versions are highly divergent, which the authors call consistent with a balanced polymorphism lasting several million years
The source saysNucleotide divergence between the red and black alleles was high when compared to the remainder of the Z chromosome, consistent with their maintenance as balanced polymorphisms over several million years.Note: FAQ 1

Source
06

Tidemann 1996

Tidemann (1996). Causes of the decline of the Gouldian Finch Erythrura gouldiae. Bird Conservation International.

The page saysA 1996 study of the Northern Territory birds found Gouldian finches almost entirely dependent on tree hollows for nests
The source saysA survey revealed the species in two areas of Northern TerritoryNote: Northern Territory scope; the hollow dependence is the next claim
The page saysalmost entirely dependent on tree hollows for nests, which had been found in only two eucalypt species
The source saysGouldian Finches are almost entirely dependent on hollows in trees for nest sites ... Nests have been found in only two species of treeNote: '(see above)' after this sentence points to the favoured species, Eucalyptus tintinnans at Yinberrie and E. brevifolia at Newry; see the next claim
The page saysonly two eucalypt species
The source saysThe favoured termite-prone tree species are Eucalyptus tintinnans (at Yinberrie) and E. brevifolia (at Newry)
The page saysLicensed trappers caught Gouldian finches in Western Australia until legal finch trapping stopped at the end of 1986, and their returns show an 87 percent drop in the numbers caught between 1972/73 and 1981
The source saysReturns from licensed finch trappers were collected annually by the Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management up to the end of 1986, when legal finch trapping was stopped: these returns show that from 1972/1973 to 1981 there was a decline of 87% in the numbers of Gouldian Finches caught in Western Australia.
The page saysa patch of trees burnt regularly by hot fires may lose its potential nest sites completely, and its seedlings may never mature
The source saysIf a patch of trees is burnt regularly by hot fires, potential breeding sites may disappear completely and seedling stock may never mature.
The page saysA survey across northern Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland found 62 percent of the Gouldian finches examined infested with air-sac mites, which in affected birds spread throughout the respiratory system
The source saysA survey of finches from northern Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland revealed that 62% of the Gouldian Finches were infested with air-sac mite ... In the affected Gouldian Finches it was found throughout the respiratory systemNote: FAQ 3
The page saysa wet-season fire, arriving after sorghum seedlings emerge, can wipe out a sorghum population completely, because the grass lacks a persistent seed bank
The source saysa fire during the wet season, following the emergence of Sorghum seedlings, can eliminate populations completely because Sorghum lacks a persistent seed bank.Note: FAQ 3
The page saysA 1996 paper in Bird Conservation International weighed several suspects
The source saysCauses of the decline of the Gouldian FinchNote: FAQ 3; 1996 and the journal are the reference's own metadata
The page saysThat 1996 study of the decline explains one way fire does harm
The source saysCauses of the decline of the Gouldian FinchNote: 1996 is the reference's publication year

Source
07

Collett et al. 2022

Collett et al. (2022). Sympatric finches increase trophic and spatiotemporal partitioning to enable coexistence through periods of low resource availability. Functional Ecology.

The page saysA 2022 radio-tracking study found that as grass seed grew scarce through the dry season, Gouldian finches became more active and ranged more widely, while the long-tailed and masked finches they often feed beside diversified their diets
The source saystracking individuals from three finch species (Gouldian—Chloebia gouldiae, long‐tailed—Poephila acuticauda and masked finch—P. personata) often seen feeding together ... passive VHF radio telemetry ... Gouldian finches increased activity and ranging behaviour, while long‐tailed and masked finches diversified their diet.Note: abstract only

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.