Slaty Finch (Haplospiza rustica rustica)

Identification & Behavior: ~12.5 (5 in). The male Slaty Finch is all lead gray. The female is dark brown to olive-brown. Both sexes have conical and pointy bills. It forages in the understory of forest edges and appears to be associated with bamboo seeding events where it congregates. It is similar to the Plumbeous Sierra-Finch but it is distinguished by a smaller size and by using vary different habitats. Plumbeous Sierrra-Finches inhabitat open country scrub at high elevations in the Andes.

Status: The Slaty Finch is generally rare but can be common in an around patches of seeding bamboo on the humid east slope of the Andes at elevations between 1400-3100 m. It also occurs in Co, Ec, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Fringilo Pizarroso.

Sub-species: Slaty Finch (Haplospiza rustica rustica), (Tschudi), 1844.

Meaning of Name: Haplospiza: Gr. haploos= plain and spiza= finch, spizo= to chirp. rustica: L. rus, ruris= country. Rusticus, rustic= plain, simple.

See more of the Family Thraupidae