Black-masked Finch
Coryphaspiza melanotis
Distinctive finch with a disjunct distribution. Males have an olive-green back with black streaks, and a contrasting face pattern with a broad white eyebrow and a black mask. Note the bicolored bill. Female lacks the bold head pattern. Inhabits well-preserved tall natural grasslands with scattered shrubs. Song is a very high, thin “tziieep...tsi-tsíp...zz-tzzz...”
Identification
The black-masked finch (Coryphaspiza melanotis) is a Vulnerable species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru.
Taxonomy
The black-masked finch was formally described in 1822 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck under the binomial name Emberizoides melanotis. This species is now placed in the genus Coryphaspiza that was introduced by George Robert Gray in 1840. The type locality is São Paulo, Brazil. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek koruphē meaning "crown of the head" with spiza meaning "finch". The specific epithet melanotis combines the Ancient Greek melas meaning "black" with -ōtis meaning "-eared".<p>This species was traditionally placed with the buntings and New World sparrows in the subfamily Emberizinae within the family Emberizidae. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that the black-masked finch was embedded in the tanager family Thraupidae. Within Thraupidae the black-masked finch is now placed with Embernagra and Emberizoides in the subfamily Emberizoidinae.<p>Two subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Coryphaspiza melanotis
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1822)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Coryphaspiza
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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