In the past, many Gouldian Finches were caught to keep as pets.
There are a lot of colorful birds in the world, but not many of them have patterns that are as clearly defined as those of the Gouldian Finch. It looks like a stuffed patchwork toy. Its beautiful appearance has made the Gouldian Finch very popular, and in the past many wild birds were caught to keep as pets. Hunting is now banned, but the birds are still under threat from different problems. The environment of their habitat has changed drastically.

Food sources and habitat lost to fires
In areas where the Gouldian Finch lives, farmers commonly set fire to the fields to burn the grass and trees in order to grow pasture for their livestock. The fires destroy the seeds of the plants that the Gouldian Finch eats, and even burn up the trees that the birds need to make their nests. So the birds lose both their sources of food and the places where they live in a single stroke. Conservation efforts have begun, but the population of Gouldian Finches is still decreasing.