Great Inca-Finch (Incaspiza pulchra)

Order: Passeriformes | Family: Thraupidae | IUCN Status: Least Concern

great-inca-finch
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Santa Eulalia, Peru

Identification & Behavior: ~16.5 cm (6.4 in). The Great Inca-Finch has rufous upperparts with a mostly gray head. The tail is gray with white outer tail feathers. The bill and leg are orange. The underparts are brown with shades of gray on the breast. It has black on the chin and base of the bill. It forages in Andean dry scrub. The Great Inca-Finch is similar to the Rufous-backed Inca-Finch but is distinguished by rufous back and wings. These two inca finches overlap only in southern Ancash. Great Inca-Finch is the only inca-finch in most of its range.

Status: Endemic. The Great Inca-Finch is uncommon in montane dry scrub on the west slope of the Andes at elevations ranging between 1000-2700 m.

Name in Spanish: Fringilo-Inca Grande.

Sub-species: Great Inca-Finch (Incaspiza pulchra), (P. L. Sclater), 1886.

Meaning of Name: Incaspiza: After the Incas, the native peoples of Peru at the time of the Spanish conquista and Gr. spiza= finch. pulchra: L. pulcher, pulchra= beautiful.

See more of the Family Thraupidae

Distribution Map
Voice

References:

- Species range based on: Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, and L. Rico. 2006. Distribution maps of the birds of Peru, version 1.0. Environment, Culture & Conservation (ECCo). The Field Museum. http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/uw_test/birdsofperu on 03/01/2016.

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