- Euphonia affinis
Identification
A tiny 9-11cm (3½-4¼ in) finch with short bill, curved culmen.
- Male is glossy blue-black (the perception of color depending on the light) with a golden-yellow forecrown patch and yellow underparts. The throat and bib are black.
Female is olive below, with lighter, more yellow breast, and greenish-olive back.
Similar species
West Mexican Euphonia, E. godmani from western Mexico has white in the crissum, while Scrub Euphonia is yellow in this area.
Distribution
Central America: found in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Taxonomy
Once considered to be tanagers, modern classification puts the Euphonias in the finch family.
West Mexican Euphonia was formerly included in this species.
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized[1].
- E. a. olmecorum:
- Southern Mexico (Oaxaca and Chiapas)
- E. a. affinis:
- Tropical eastern Mexico (Tamaulipas) to north-western Costa Rica
Habitat
Broad-leaf deciduous forests, scrub, brushy fields, and agricultural areas. Prefers drier habitat than other Euphonias.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists almost entirely of various fruits, such as mistletoe and figs.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved April 2016)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Scrub Euphonia. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Scrub_Euphonia
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
