- Sicalis columbiana
Identification
11-12cm (4.25-4.75ins)
- Male: Orange forehead extending to front of crown - can be very bright in some individuals; underparts yellow, sometimes with some olive streaking on breast and sides; tail and wings olive; eye dark, bill and legs flesh-colored.
- Female: upperparts grayish-brown, breast buffy, belly and vent lighter with some streaking.
Similar Species
Saffron Finch, but it is more yellow on upperparts and has a black upper mandible. Female is very similar to the male, not buffy at all.2
Distribution
Orinoco Basin in east Colombia and Venezuela; Brazil along the Amazon River and in eastern Brazil, i.e. west Bahia. See external links below for a range map.
Taxonomy
There are 3 subspecies:1
- S. c. columbiana:
- S. c. leopoldinae:
- East Brazil (Piauí to western Bahia and Goiás)
- S. c. goeldii:
- Amazonian Brazil (to western Pará)
Habitat
Tropical; open scrub near forest edges, pastures, grassy land near farms and ranches, always near water.
Behaviour
Diet
Forages on the ground for seeds and will fly up into trees or shrubs if disturbed.
Breeding
Pairs usually stay together in a breeding territory, but will join flocks with other finches, such as Saffron Finches.2
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Robin Restall et al, 2006. Birds of Northern South America, Vols 1 and 2. Yale University Press, Newhaven and London. ISBN: 978-0-300-10862-0 and 978-0-300-12415-6, respectively.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Orange-fronted Yellow Finch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 7 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Orange-fronted_Yellow_Finch
