Juveniles do not have red brow marks and lack olive colouration on the collar and wing coverts.

[2] The red-browed finch was first described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Fringilla temporalis.

[1][6] There are no key threatening processes for N. temporalis, although the Pest Animal Control CRC suggests that the introduced nutmeg mannikin (Lonchura punctulata), which currently threatens some native mannikins through increased competition, maybe a minor threat to N. lateralis in northern Queensland.

[7] In regional areas, the species needs adequate shrub density to provide cover and foraging places.

Flocks prefer semi-open woodland, especially edges of forests, where brushy scrub meets cleared areas, especially near creeks.

Wild birds will even enter large-mesh aviaries in suburban areas to eat seed, given the opportunity.

[9] The red-browed finch builds a large domed nest with a side entrance, woven from grass and small twigs.