Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola)

Identification & Behavior: ~13.5 cm (5.2 in). The male Saffron Finch is bright yellow with a bright orange forehead; the female is slightly duller. The juvenile has streaked upperparts and pale underparts with a broad yellow band across the breast. It forages on the ground in the semiopen deciduous forest and scrub in northwest Peru. It is the only bright yellow finch in its range. The Grassland Yellow-Finch is smaller and duller yellow and brown.

Status: The Saffron Finch is common on the dry northwestern lowlands and the lower portion of the Marañon drainage where it is known to range up to 2200 m. It also occurs in the cities of Lima and Puerto Maldonado where they have established breeding populations. The Saffron Finch also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Chirigüe Azafranado.

Sub-species: Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola valida), Bangs and Penard, 1921.

Meaning of Name: Sicalis: Gr. sikalis, sukallis, sukalidos= a small, black-headed bird, mentioned by Epicharmus. flaveola: L. flavus= golden, yellow. Flaveolus= yellowish.

See more of the Family Thraupidae