Plumbeous Sierra Finch - BirdForum Opus

Male
Photo © by Valère CLAVERIE
Parinacota, Chile, November 2006

Geospizopsis unicolor

Phrygilus unicolor

Identification

14·5 cm (5¾ in)
Male

• Grey head and upperparts

Distribution

South America: found in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina

Taxonomy

This species has in the past been placed in genus Phrygilus.

Subspecies

Female, subspecies inca
Photo © by Stanley Jones
Abra Malaga, Ollantaytambo, Cusco Department, Peru, September 2018

There are 6 subspecies^[1]:

• G. u. nivaria:

• North East Colombia (Santa Marta Mountains) and Andes of north-western Venezuela

• G. u. geospizopsis:

• East and Central Andes of Colombia and Ecuador

• G. u. inca:

• Andes of Peru to western Bolivia (La Paz)

• G. u. unicolor:

• Andes of south-western Peru (Tacna) to southern Chile and western Argentina

• G. u. tucumana:

• Andes of Bolivia and north-western Argentina

• G. u. ultima:

• Mountains of southern Argentina (Tierra del Fuego)

Habitat

Open and grassy high altitude habitats.

Behaviour

Diet

They forage on the ground for seeds. They will take some invertebrates, especially when feeding their young.

References

1. 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/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2019)
4. This thread discusses a recent (2011) phylogenetic study of the genus.

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Plumbeous Sierra Finch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Plumbeous_Sierra_Finch

External Links

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