Blue Chaffinch (1 Viewer)

[Valéry Schollaert]

As promised long time ago, those are some additional photos of Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch (Fringilla polatzeki).

 

[Richard Klim]

As promised long time ago, those are some additional photos of Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch (Fringilla polatzeki).

Thanks, Valéry. The blacker band over the bill base and whiter wing bars show well in the last photo.

 

[Valéry Schollaert]

Thanks, Valéry. The blacker band over the bill base and whiter wing bars show well in the last photo.

with pleasure. This is the breeding adult male. He was feeding in a nest situated soe 40m high in the canopy of Pinus canariensis. The female was active too, but very secretive, I hardly saw her.

3 other photos are in another location, better known spot for the species, where I hear several male. They show an apparently single female in this second location.

Cheers

 

[Peter Kovalik]

Fringilla polatzeki

Sangster, Rodríguez-Godoy, Roselaar, Robb & Luksenburg (in press). Integrative taxonomy reveals Europe's rarest songbird species, the Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch Fringilla polatzeki. J Avian Biol. [abstract]

• Fringilla [teydea] teydea - Tenerife Blue Chaffinch
• Fringilla [teydea] polatzeki - Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch

PS. "Europe's rarest songbird species"? The Canary Is are geographically part of Africa, not Europe. OK, I realise they're just talking (conservation) politics.

IOC Updates Diary July 3

Accept Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch split

 

[l_raty]

Lifjeld, Anmarkrud, Calabuig, Cooper, Johannessen, Johnsen, Kearns, Lachlan, Laskemoen, Marthinsen, Stensrud, Garcia-del-Rey. 2016. Species-level divergences in multiple functional traits between the two endemic subspecies of Blue Chaffinches Fringilla teydea in Canary Islands. BMC Zoology 1:4.
[whole paper]

(In a brand new journal )

 

[Acanthis]

Had an unsuccessful crack at polatzeki back sometime in the late nineties in a Canary Pine forest overlooking a distant Tenerife. Stunning views!!
Did get a good look at the distinct Gran Canaria Robin there but that's one for another thread

 

[Jim LeNomenclatoriste]

Tif Update October, 2016


Chaffinches: The Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch, Fringilla polatzeki, has been split from Blue Chaffinch, Fringilla teydea, based on Suárez et al. (2009) and the analysis by Sangster et al. (2016b).
[Fringillidae, Core Passeroidea II, 3.05]

 

[lewis20126]

I've just noticed Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch scored 11 on Tobias et al criteria in the BLI/Checklist, so consistent with speculation above that it would score well - vocal characters contributed strongly, 4 points if I recall.

cheers, alan