Bay-chested Warbling Finch

Castanozoster thoracicus

Small finch with a conspicuous chestnut breast and flanks. Gray above with a white throat and belly and a white arc below the eye. Found at the edge of montane forests, in open woodlands, and clearings; often accompanies mixed-species flocks. Listen for its calm “tsip-cheep” song.

Taxonomy

The bay-chested warbling finch was formally described in 1835 by the Finnish naturalist Alexander von Nordmann from a specimen collected in Brazil. He coined the binomial name Frigilla thoracica. This species was traditionally placed in the genus Poospiza. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that the genus was polyphyletic. In the subsequent reorganisation the bay-chested warbling finch was moved to its own newly erected genus Castanozoster. The name combines the Ancient Greek καστανό meaning "chestnut" with ζωστήρ meaning "belt". The bay-chested warbling finch is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

Scientific name
Castanozoster thoracicus
Authority
(Nordmann, 1835)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Zosteropidae
Genus
Castanozoster

Range and habitat

Migration
Complete migrants

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

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