Alternative name: Canary-winged Finch
(Black-throated Finch which has been used for this species is preoccupied by Poephila cincta)
- Melanodera melanodera
Identification
14-15cm
Male
- Grey-green upperparts
- Yellow underparts
- Grey head and upper breast
- Black throat and mask bordered with white
- Yellow patches in the wings and tail
Female
- Brown with darker streaks
- Yellow outer tail-feathers
- Yellow fringes to wing feathers.
Juvenile
- Like female but more heavily streaked
- Duller bill
- Rich buff overall
Distribution
South America: found in Falkland Islands, southern Argentina and Chile.
Taxonomy
Not actually a finch, this species is now classified in the tanager family (Thraupidae ).
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]:
Photo by Joseph Morlan
Gypsy Cove, Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, 3 March 2018.
- M. melanodera of the Falkland Islands : larger, reduced yellow on wings, shows the white bridle very well
- M. princetoniana of southern Argentina and Chile ("Canary-winged Finch"): smaller has highly contrasting yellow wings
Habitat
Particularly dependent on ungrazed perennial grasses. Also occurs in heathland, farmland or dunes.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes seeds (especially grass) and arthropods. In the Falklands, they also eat sorrel, chickweed and sand cabbage.
Breeding
The nest is built of grass, lined with hair or feathers, placed low down in grass or between stones. The clutch consists of 3-4 blue-grey or grey-green eggs with purple-brown markings.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Jaramillo, A. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton & Oxford: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691117409
- Jaramillo, A. 2018. White-bridled Finch (Melanodera melanodera). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/62037 on 19 May 2018)
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) White-bridled Finch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-bridled_Finch
