Grey Pileated Finch

Overview

The grey pileated finch (Coryphospingus pileatus), also known as the pileated finch, is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae found across parts of South America. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with an extremely large range and a population believed to be stable.

Identification

• Size and Structure: Approximately 13.5 cm (5.3 in) long, weighing 12 to 18 g, with a shortish tail and a longish bill.
• Plumage: Sexually dimorphic; adult males of the nominate subspecies have a black crest with a red central stripe, a gray face with white eye crescents, grayish upperparts, and whitish underparts. Females have a brownish crown without red, grayish-brown upperparts, and off-white underparts with buff-gray flanks.
• Bill and Legs: Both sexes possess a dark iris, a blackish upper mandible, a horn to grayish lower mandible, and dark gray legs.
• Vocalisation: In Brazil, the song is described as a calm, repeated two-noted phrase: 'sweéf-trru', while in Venezuela it consists of leisurely, flat phrases like 'tslip tslip tsweet'. Calls include a sharp 'twiip!' or a lower-pitched 'phfft'.

Habitat

The species inhabits dry and somewhat open landscapes such as scrublands, thorn scrub, and open woodlands, as well as shrubby edges of moister woodlands. Its range is highly disjunct, covering central and eastern Brazil, parts of Venezuela, and specific regions of Colombia, with unconfirmed records in Bolivia and French Guiana. Elevation ranges from as low as 100 m (300 ft) in southern Venezuela to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in Brazil.

Diet

The diet of the grey pileated finch has not been extensively studied, but one source indicates it feeds on seeds. It forages on the ground near or under shrubs and other low vegetation, forming small flocks during the non-breeding season.

Did you know?

Despite being classified as finches, Coryphospingus pileatus was moved from the finch family Fringillidae to the tanager family Thraupidae following early twentieth-century studies. It forms a superspecies with the red pileated finch and hybridises where their ranges overlap.