Greater Antillean Bullfinch

Overview

The Greater Antillean bullfinch (Melopyrrha violacea) is a small songbird belonging to the tanager family, Thraupidae. It is a sedentary resident found across the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas.

Identification

• Measures 13.2 to 17.5 cm in length with a short, thick, dark gray bill and dusky legs.
• Males are predominantly black with a short red-orange supercilium, throat, and undertail coverts; females are a duller, more slaty black.
• Voice consists of a shrill, insect-like sequence of t'zeet, t'seet, t'seet, tseet, seet and a thin spit.

Habitat

Found in the Bahamas, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, it inhabits dense thickets and undergrowth at all elevations. Its range spans from dry coastal scrub to wet mountain forests up to 2,000 m, including gardens.

Diet

This species feeds primarily on fruits and seeds, supplementing its diet with flowers and snails. It usually forages in dense vegetation, probably on or near the ground.

Did you know?

Originally described by Linnaeus in 1758 as Loxia violacea based on Mark Catesby's illustration of 'The Purple Gross-beak', the bird was later moved to the genus Pyrrhulagra and is currently classified under Melopyrrha, though its taxonomy remains unsettled.