The Silver Diamond Firetail Barely Even Looks Real

Meet the silver diamond firetail, a rare variety of native Australian finch that looks like a Christmas angel with flames spilling from beneath its robes. Only the most experienced breeders can reliably produce this variety of the diamond firetail (Stagonopleura guttata), selecting parents that carry the recessive genes that give rise to this almost pearlescent plumage.

This little cute birds look like in the wild. Endemic to the southeast of Australia, ranging from the Carnarvon Ranges in Queensland to the Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island in South Australia, the diamond firetail grows to 10-12 cm and weighs 17 grams, which is positively gargantuan when you compare it to the mini emu-wren, at just 4 grams. It's one of three firetail finches from the genus Stagonopleura, all of which are endemic to Australia.