Crimson-breasted Finch

Overview

The crimson-breasted finch (Rhodospingus cruentus) is a small songbird belonging to the tanager family Thraupidae. It is monotypic, making it the only species in its genus, and is classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN.

Identification

• Adult males possess a blackish head with a bright red crown patch that can be raised as a crest, along with a throat and breast that transition from red to crimson.
• Adult females feature a buffy or pale yellowish supercilium and lower face, with pale brownish upperparts and buffy underparts.
• Both sexes have a long, slender, relatively straight bill, dark brown irises, and dark grayish legs.
• The male's song during the breeding season is a buzzy 'tsee-tzztzz', resembling the blue-black grassquit, while calls include a sharp 'tchip' or descending 'tseer'.

Habitat

Found on the Pacific slope of far northwestern Ecuador south into northwestern Peru, with unconfirmed reports from Colombia. The species inhabits dry forest and desert scrublands in Peru and southwestern Ecuador, while occupying moister landscapes and forest edges further north. It generally resides below 750 m in Peru and mostly below 500 m in Ecuador.

Diet

The crimson-breasted finch feeds primarily on seeds and is assumed to consume arthropods during the breeding season. Foraging behaviour varies, with some sources indicating ground feeding in the non-breeding season and others describing arboreal foraging in flowering trees during that period.

Did you know?

Although it is commonly known as the 'crimson-breasted' or 'crimson' finch due to the male's vibrant plumage, its scientific specific epithet cruentus is actually the Latin word for 'bloody'.