Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola)

Subspecies

Genus	Species	subspecies	Breeding Range	Breeding Range 2	Non Breeding Range
Sicalis	flaveola		SA	n, wc, se, sc
Sicalis	flaveola	brasiliensis
Sicalis	flaveola	flaveola
Sicalis	flaveola	koenigi
Sicalis	flaveola	pelzelni
Sicalis	flaveola	valida

Physical charateristics

This species has a bright yellow body with an orange crown. The back and wings are laced with black eching on the feathers. The eyes are dark, legs grey-pale pink, the upper mandible is grey-black while the lower mandible is ivory in color. Mature females are a sligthly duller version of the male and young hens are often olive-brown with heavy dark streaks.

Listen to the sound of Saffron Finch

[audio:http://www.aviflevoland.nl/sounddb/S/Saffron Finch.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto

wingspan min.:	0	cm	wingspan max.:	0	cm
size min.:	13	cm	size max.:	14	cm
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Range

Most of South America including: Netherlands Antilles, Colombia, Suriname, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Guyanas

Habitat

This species lives in groups, sometimes of dozens of birds, in abandoned pastures, caatingas, cultivated fields and grassy gardens. It is more numerous in arid areas.

Reproduction

Its nests are basket-shaped and can found in a variety of places, such as an ox skull or perforated bamboo. It often uses the abandoned nests of other birds and prefers cavities as a nest site.

Feeding habits

Feeds on seeds and small insects

Conservation

This species has a large range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 6,600,000 kmÂ². The global population size has not been quantified, but it is believed to be large as the species is described as ‘common’ in at least parts of its range (Stotz et al. 1996). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e., declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Migration

Sedentary throughout range.

Distribution map

Literature

Title EFFECT OF BIRD DENSITY ON THE DECISION TO JOIN A GROUP IN
THE SICALIS FLAVEOLA PELZENI (PASSERIFORMES, EMBERIZIDAE)

Author(s): Celia M. Lombardi and Marcela Charbuki

Abstract: A change in bird density within a captive flock of..[more]..

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