Coal-crested Finch
Charitospiza eucosma
Handsome finch with a spiky crest. Males have a black band from the head to the center of the belly, a silver back, and brown-yellow underparts. Female lacks the black band. Occurs in savanna with shrubby areas and scattered trees, and also in caatinga habitat. Mostly forages on the ground, but also can be seen in low trees and bushes.
Taxonomy
The coal-crested finch was formally described in 1905 by the American ornithologist Harry C. Oberholser. He introduced a new genus Charitospiza and coined the binomial name Charitospiza eucosma. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek kharis meaning "grace" or "beauty" and spiza meaning "finch". The specific epithet is from the Ancient Greek eukosmos meaning "decorous" or "well-adorned". The type locality is the state of Bahia in Brazil, near the border with Minas Gerais. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- Scientific name
- Charitospiza eucosma
- Authority
- Oberholser, 1905
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Charitospiza
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Ramphastos ambiguus
Large conspicuous bird with oversized bill. Mostly black overall with yellow throat and face. Note bicolored bill: dark below and yellow above. Found in pairs or small groups, often parading through the canopy in search of fruit. Sometimes perches very obviously at the top of a tree. Favors forested areas, but can also be found in gardens and edges. Yelping call helps distinguish from similar looking species.
Gray's Grasshopper Warbler
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An odd, thrush-like warbler; extremely shy and seldom seen as it lurks about in dense undergrowth. The largest grasshopper-warbler, with a distinctly robust appearance. Matte brown with pale brow, throat, and belly. Complete lack of streaking distinguishes this species from Middendorff’s and Pallas’s grasshopper-warblers; white throat and pale brow distinguish Gray’s from the much browner Pleske’s Warbler. Slightly warmer-colored Sakhalin Grasshopper-Warbler is extremely similar but has a whiter throat, a thicker brow, and more extensive brown on the underside.
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