Black-throated Finch

The black-throated finch (Poephila cincta), or parson finch, is a species of estrildid finch found in grassy woodlands throughout north-east Australia from Cape York Peninsula to central Queensland. The southern black-throated finch (Poephila cincta cincta) is endangered, with a population in decline and its habitat is threatened by development, and has become extinct in New South Wales, while the northern black-throated finch (Poephila cincta atropygialis) is not listed as threatened at this point. == Taxonomy and systematics == Originally described by ornithologist John Gould as Amadina cincta in 1837, its specific epithet is Latin cincta may be interpreted to mean "girdled". Gould described before his visit to Australia, using a specimen deposited at the British Museum. It is placed in the Australo-Papuan finch family Estrildidae, although this family itself was previously placed in the sparrow family Passeridae. A genetic study published in 2005 showed that it diverged from the long-tailed finch (P. acuticauda) 600,000 years ago. "Black-throated finch" has been designated as the official common name for the species by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC). Parson finch is an alternative common name. === Subspecies === Two subspecies of the black-throated finch have been described, with intermediate forms between the two…