Blue Finch

Overview

The blue finch or yellow-billed blue finch (Rhopospina caerulescens) is a Near Threatened species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is a monotypic species found in Bolivia and Brazil.

Identification

• Adults are sexually dimorphic, with males being almost entirely bright indigo-blue and females having pale brownish heads with warmer brown upperparts.
• Slim body, about 12.5 cm long, with a long tail and long bill; both sexes have dull pink legs and feet.
• Males have a yellow bill, while females have a duller yellow bill with a dark tip and culmen.
• Song is described as a simple but pleasant, calm, very high "feét-feét-teu feét-feét-teu" with a lower-pitched "teu".

Habitat

Found in Brazil and western into eastern and southern Bolivia, primarily in the cerrado, a tropical savanna landscape. Greatly favors campos rupestres, a grassland with rocky outcrops, some bushes, and relatively few trees. Elevation ranges from sea level to 1,100 m.

Diet

Feeds mostly on seeds, with invertebrates making up about 20% of its diet. Forages on the ground, mostly singly or in pairs during the breeding season and in small flocks outside it.

Did you know?

The incubation period is about 14 days, and both parents provision nestlings, but the time to fledging is not known. It is considered "uncommon to rare" in Brazil, where it occurs in several protected areas.