Saffron Finch
Sicalis flaveola
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyThraupidae (Tanagers and Allies)
- GenusSicalis (Yellow-Finches)
- SpeciesSicalis flaveola (Saffron Finch)
About the Saffron Finch
The saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola) is a tanager from South America that is common in open and semi-open areas in lowlands outside the Amazon Basin. They have a wide distribution in Colombia, northern Venezuela (where it is called "canario de tejado" or "roof canary"), western Ecuador, western Peru, eastern and southern Brazil (where it is called "canário-da-terra" or "native canary"), Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, northern Argentina, and Trinidad and Tobago. It has also been introduced to Hawaii, Panama, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and elsewhere. Although commonly regarded as a canary, it is not related to the Atlantic canary. Formerly, it was placed in the Emberizidae but it is close to the seedeaters.
The saffron finch was formally described in 1766 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the 12th edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Fringilla flaveola. The specific epithet is a diminutive of the Latin flavus meaning "golden" or "yellow". The type locality is Suriname. The saffron finch is now placed in the genus Sicalis that was introduced in 1828 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie.
Five subspecies are recognised: S. f. flaveola (Linnaeus, 1766... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Saffron Finch in Amacayacu National Natural Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Amacayacu National Natural Park
Silver-beaked Tanager
Ramphocelus carbo
Blue-gray Tanager
Thraupis episcopus
Palm Tanager
Thraupis palmarum
Chestnut-bellied Seedeater
Sporophila castaneiventris
Yellow-bellied Dacnis
Dacnis flaviventer
Turquoise Tanager
Tangara mexicana
Masked Crimson Tanager
Ramphocelus nigrogularis
Red-capped Cardinal
Paroaria gularis
Buff-throated Saltator
Saltator maximus
Wing-barred Seedeater
Sporophila americana
Gray-headed Tanager
Eucometis penicillata
Chestnut-bellied Seed-Finch
Sporophila angolensis
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.