 Despite their shyness toward other birds and people, they are known to be less so when venturing out to bird feeders.The species is not easily confused with other birds in its native habitat, excepting perhaps the red-browed finch ("Neochmia temporalis") that has escaped captivity and bred in the region.The red-eared firetail was described by the French zoologists Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard in 1832.