How to Care for Diamond Firetail Finches

Written by the Birdsville team. Last updated October 2026.

Diamond firetail finch care comes down to a quality finch seed mix, plenty of greens and live food, a dry aviary floor, and the right companions. The diamond firetail is a striking Australian native finch with a bright red rump and beak, a bold black chest band and white spotted flanks. They’re good breeders with the right diet and conditions. This guide covers how to care for diamond firetail finches, from diet and breeding to housing and health, with a full shopping list of the supplies we recommend, delivered Australia-wide by Petsville.

Diamond firetail finch with red rump, black chest band and white spotted flanks — The diamond firetail, an Australian native finch named for its white spotted flanks and bright red rump.

Diamond Firetail Finch Quick Facts

Scientific name: Stagonopleura guttata
Also known as: Diamond Firetail, Diamond Finch
Native range: south east Australia, from south east Queensland to south east South Australia
Wild status: vulnerable
Adult length: around 12 cm
Lifespan: commonly around 5 to 7 years
Diet: finch seed mix, greens, live food, egg and biscuit
Housing: pairs or colonies, in an aviary with a dry floor
Clutch: around 5 white eggs, incubated for about 14 days
Sexing: difficult, males have a velvet black tail and wider crown
Licence: required in NSW
Temperament: can be aggressive
Experience level: intermediate

Diamond Firetail Finch Shopping List

Everything in this guide is available from Petsville, which delivers Australia-wide, or in-store at Birdsville in Sydney.

Live food and finch nest boxes are available in-store at Birdsville.

Diamond Firetails in the Wild

Diamond firetails are Australian natives found across south east Australia, from south east Queensland through eastern New South Wales and Victoria to south east South Australia. They live in open woodland with scrub and grassy plains, and they spend much of their time on the ground eating seed. Wild diamond firetails are now listed as vulnerable.

Licensing

A licence is required to keep diamond firetail finches in NSW. Licence rules differ between states, so check with your state wildlife authority before buying one. Birdsville doesn’t sell diamond firetails, but we stock everything they need, in-store and on Petsville.

Choosing a Healthy Bird

When buying a diamond firetail from a licensed breeder, check that:

the breast is in good condition, with muscle either side of the keel
the vent is clean
the feet and beak are clean and free of scale
the feathers are in good condition and not puffed up
the eyes are clear

Housing Diamond Firetail Finches

Diamond firetails do best in an aviary with room to fly and a dry floor, because they spend so much time on the ground. A planted aviary with thick bushes gives them cover and nest sites. Provide perches of different thicknesses, a shallow bath, and separate dishes for seed, grit, live food and water.

Seasonal tip: Diamond firetails come from south east Australia and are fairly hardy, but they don’t like wet, muddy ground. In winter, keep part of the aviary floor dry and sheltered from rain and cold winds. In summer, give them shade all day, a bath, and Vetafarm Spark Liquid (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-spark-liquid-50ml) in the water on very hot days.

Diamond Firetail Diet

Diamond firetails need a quality finch seed mix, greens, live food, egg and biscuit, grit, vitamins and fresh water every day.

Seed

Feed a good quality finch seed. It’s very important for keeping your birds healthy, especially if you want to breed them. Our top pick is Birdsville Blends Finch & Canary (https://petsville.com.au/products/birdsville-blends-finch-canary-500g), our biggest selling finch blend. It’s bagged fresh on site with a high turnover, so the seed never sits on a shelf, and buying from the people who mix it means better value. Be wary of many supermarket and chain store mixes, which have a lot of filler seed and poor quality grains. If you’re unsure about your seed, ask a bird specialist. See our Finch Seed page (https://birdsville.net.au/seeds-grains/finch-seed/) for more.

Millet Sprays

Fresh seed on the stem. French white millet sprays are a favourite of finches. Buy them on Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/products/millet-sprays-mixed-100g).

Sprouted Seed

Wash sprouted seed thoroughly with Vetafarm Aviclens (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-aviclens-water-cleanser-100ml) before putting it on the menu.

Greens

Greens are very important for breeding diamond firetails. Offer seeding grasses, cucumber, endive, chickweed, milk thistle, silverbeet, dandelion, chicory and broccoli.

Live Food

Feed mealworms, fly pupae, and live termites if you can get them, served with a pinch of insectivore mix such as Insectivore Rearing Mix (https://petsville.com.au/products/wombaroo-insectivore-rearing-mix-250g) or Vetafarm Insecta-Pro (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-insecta-pro-450g). Live food is available in-store at Birdsville.

Egg and Biscuit

An extra protein source, especially when breeding. Try Shep’s Egg & Biscuit (https://petsville.com.au/products/sheps-egg-biscuit-500g).

Vitamins

Vitamins come in many brands, but to be effective they must go in the water. Vitamins added to seed are wasted, because finches remove the husk. Vetafarm Multivet (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-multivet-50ml) is a good choice.

Grit

Feed a fine grit of charcoal, crushed cuttlebone, baked egg shell, shell and limestone, such as shell grit (https://petsville.com.au/products/shell-grit-5kg), in its own dish.

Breeding Diamond Firetail Finches

Diamond firetails can be bred in a colony of their own kind or in a mixed collection with other finches. Given the right diet and conditions, they’re good breeders.

They’ll use nest boxes, and they’ll also nest in thickets of bush if your aviary is planted. Supply swamp grass and some broader grasses for building, plus white feathers to line the nest (https://petsville.com.au/collections/bird-subsrate).

The hen lays around 5 white eggs, and both parents share the incubation, which takes about 14 days. The young stay in the nest for about 3 to 4 weeks before they start to venture out, and the parents keep feeding them for about another 4 weeks while they learn to crack seed. Increase the amount of live food while the parents are raising chicks. Vetafarm Breeding Aid (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-breeding-aid-100ml) on the seed also helps support fertility and chick growth.

Sexing Diamond Firetail Finches

Diamond firetails are difficult to sex. The male’s tail feathers are velvet black, while the female’s have a brownish tinge. The male’s head is also slightly larger and wider across the crown. Comparing birds side by side makes the difference easier to see.

Health and Parasite Control

Watch for fluffed up feathers, sitting still and inactive, a dirty vent, or a thin chest where the keel bone sticks out. A sick finch can go downhill within hours. Move it to a small, warm cage straight away, add Spark Liquid to its water, and see an avian vet. For more on finch health, see our Finch Care page [Finch Care page link].

Worm your finches every 3 months if they live outdoors, or every 6 months indoors, using Vetafarm Wormout Gel (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-wormout-gel-50ml). Spray birds, nests and the aviary with Avitrol Mite & Lice Spray (https://petsville.com.au/products/fidos-avitrol-bird-mite-and-lice-spray-125ml) every 3 months, avoiding the eyes. Keep new birds separate for 4 to 6 weeks before introducing them, and give them Spark Liquid in their water for the first few days after a move.

Cleaning

Daily: fresh water and seed in clean dishes, blow husks off the seed, and remove old live food and greens.
Weekly: clean the aviary thoroughly, and keep the floor dry.
Monthly: disinfect with Vetafarm Avicare (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-avicare-rtu-500ml), clean or replace branches, and clean out nests after the young have left.

Compatibility with Other Finches

Diamond firetails can mix well at times, but they can also be quite aggressive. It’s best to house them with similar sized, robust finches, such as java finches, chestnut breasted mannikins and cut throat finches, and to avoid small, timid species. For more on mixing birds, see our Mixing Different Species of Bird page (https://birdsville.net.au/pet-bird-advice-and-training/mixing-different-species-of-bird/).

Diamond Firetail Finch Frequently Asked Questions

What do diamond firetail finches eat?

A quality finch seed mix such as Birdsville Blends Finch & Canary, plus millet sprays, sprouted seed, plenty of greens and live food, especially when breeding. Mealworms, fly pupae or termites with a pinch of insectivore mix give them protein. They also need fine grit, vitamins in the water and fresh water.

How do you tell a male diamond firetail from a female?

Diamond firetails are difficult to sex. The male’s tail feathers are velvet black, while the hen’s have a brownish tinge, and the male’s head is slightly larger and wider across the crown. Comparing birds side by side is the easiest way to pick a pair.

Do I need a licence to keep diamond firetail finches?

In NSW, you need a licence to keep diamond firetail finches, as they’re a protected Australian native bird. Licence rules differ between states, so check with your state wildlife authority before buying one. Birdsville doesn’t sell diamond firetails, but we stock everything they need.

Are diamond firetail finches easy to breed?

Yes, with the right diet and conditions, diamond firetails are good breeders, either in a colony of their own kind or in a mixed aviary. Give them nest boxes or thick bushes, swamp grass, broader grasses and white feathers, plus extra live food while they raise chicks.

Can diamond firetails live with other finches?

They can mix well at times, but they can also be quite aggressive, so it’s best to house them with similar sized, robust finches, such as java finches, chestnut breasted mannikins and cut throat finches. Avoid mixing them with small, timid finches.

Where do diamond firetail finches come from?

Diamond firetails are Australian natives from south east Australia, found from south east Queensland through New South Wales and Victoria to south east South Australia. They live in open woodland and grassy plains, and spend much of their time on the ground eating seed.

Diamond Firetail Supplies at Birdsville

We don’t sell diamond firetail finches, but we stock everything they need. Every product in this guide is available online from Petsville, delivered Australia-wide, or in-store at Birdsville, 684 Botany Road, Alexandria NSW 2015, servicing the Eastern Suburbs and Inner South Sydney. Live food and finch nest boxes are available in-store. Visit us or call (02) 9669 1766, and our team will help you set up the right home and diet for your finches. Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BirdsvilleRosebery/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/petsvillesydney/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@birdsvillepets) for live updates.

About Birdsville

Birdsville has been trading in Sydney since 1985, and we believe we’re now the oldest bricks and mortar bird shop still open in Australia. Owner Ash brings experience from vet clinics and from zoo keeping at the Rainforest Habitat in Port Douglas, now Wildlife Habitat. We’re a small business that does things in a big way. Nobody tells us how to run things, so we keep our products the best of the best.