Grassland Yellow-Finch Sicalis luteola Scientific name definitions

In the genus Sicalis, the yellow-finches, this is certainly the most widespread species and the only one that ventures north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Given the huge range, and the fact that the distribution is broken up into various subpopulations, a moderate amount of geographic variation has been described. The southern and often migratory population has at times been separated as a separate species, the Misto Yellow-Finch. It is quite likely that within Grassland Yellow-Finch there are more than one species level taxa, but not enough work has been done either on vocalizations, morphology and DNA to sort this all out. In general the species takes various types of open, grassy habitats, including agricultural areas. The southern cone lowland form (the Misto) is common and widespread, and found almost anywhere an open area with some grass is to be found, including empty lots in towns as well as native habitats like Pampas Grasslands. The Andean populations are more fragmented and found in moister grassy habitats, so absent from dry Puna Grasslands and may even be considered more of a marsh-grass inhabitant. The more tropical lowland populations in Mexico and Central America, as well as Venezuela take various short grass habitats. Unlike most species in the genus, the Grassland Yellow-Finch performs a beautiful song, often while in flight. This flight song is comprised of various trills at different pitches, giving the effect of the song of captive canaries. They give a two note flight call that is quite distinctive once learned. In the non-breeding season Grassland Yellow-Finches form small flocks, although the migratory birds that winter in eastern Bolivia may form large flocks in the thousands there.

9·8–12·5 cm; 14·6–17·9 g. A small, compact yellow-finch with short and rounded bill, moderately long wings and distinctly notched tail. Male nominate race has olive crown with fine dark streaks, largely greyish-olive face with distinct yellowish eyering and yellow supercilium, and also much yellow on side of neck; nape and upperparts olive-brown with heavy dark streaking (in fresh plumage, two whiter lines of streaks on mantle), rump contrastingly olive-yellow; upper­wing and tail brownish with pale brownish edgings; throat and malar region bright yellow, underparts yellow, extensively washed olive on side of breast and upper flanks, belly slightly paler yellowish; iris dark; bill greyish or pinkish-grey, darker culmen; legs dull pink to dusky. Female is similar to male, but duller overall, pale brown above with dark streaks from crown to back, dull yellow below, dark malar stripe, yellow facial markings less conspicuous, side of head and side of body strongly washed olive, throat and breast sometimes buff. Juvenile is similar to female, but upperpart feathers edged buffy (can look scaly on freshest-plumaged juvenile, more streaked on older individual), stronger malar stripe, finely streaked breast, belly even duller yellow. Race flavissima is larger and longer-winged than nominate, with more curved bill, contrasting unstreaked yellowish rump, female has yellowish throat; chapmani is similar to previous, but with even larger bill, much more strongly curved culmen, brighter green upperparts with very narrow streaking, brighter yellow underparts; bogotensis is larger than nominate, with head yellower and less contrasting, darker on mantle and scapulars, dull greenish-olive rump, sometimes a pale patch near end of outer pair of rectrices; chrysops is brighter than last; mexicana and eisenmanni are similar to previous; <em>luteiventris</em> is rather dull above, rump greener and less contrasting than on nominate, wing edgings stronger and more greyish-yellow (creating paler panel on folded secondaries), sometimes two wingbars, less bright yellow below, olive wash on breast less prominent and less extensive.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Introduced (nominate race) in Lesser Antilles.

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EBIRD GROUP (POLYTYPIC)

Grassland Yellow-Finch (Northern) Sicalis luteola [chrysops Group]

Available illustrations of subspecies in this group

• eBird map
• 46 photos
• 20 recordings

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SUBSPECIES

Sicalis luteola chrysops Scientific name definitions

Distribution

S Mexico (Caribbean slope in Veracruz and Chiapas), Belize (2 Figueroa, O.A., Martinez, W., Teul, M., Albanese, G. and Piaskowski, V.D. (2004). Additional notes on eight bird species from Belize. Cotinga 21: 31–33. Close ), S Guatemala (Baja Vera Paz, Sacatepéquez), and Mosquitia region of E Honduras and NE Nicaragua.

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SUBSPECIES

Sicalis luteola mexicana Scientific name definitions

Distribution

C Mexico (Pacific slope in Puebla and Morelos).

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SUBSPECIES

Sicalis luteola eisenmanni Scientific name definitions

Distribution

NW Costa Rica (Guanacaste) and C Panama (Coclé).

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EBIRD GROUP (MONOTYPIC)

Grassland Yellow-Finch (Montane) Sicalis luteola bogotensis Scientific name definitions

• eBird map
• 27 photos
• 20 recordings

Distribution

Andes of Venezuela and E range in Colombia S through highlands of Ecuador to S Peru (Arequipa).

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EBIRD GROUP (POLYTYPIC)

Grassland Yellow-Finch (Grassland) Sicalis luteola [luteola Group]

Available illustrations of subspecies in this group

• eBird map
• 89 photos
• 39 recordings

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SUBSPECIES

Sicalis luteola luteola Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Colombia (lower elevations of W Andes, and valleys of R Cauca and R Magdalena), Venezuela (Falcandoacute;n, Monagas and Bolandiacute;var), Guyana and adjacent N Brazil (R Branco region); from 2004 also present in Trinidad (3 Kenefick, M., Restall, R. and Hayes, F.E. (2011). Birds of Trinidad & Tobago. Second edn. Christopher Helm, London. Close ).

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SUBSPECIES

Sicalis luteola flavissima Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Suriname S to mouth of R Amazon (Brazil).

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SUBSPECIES

Sicalis luteola luteiventris Scientific name definitions

Distribution

S Brazil (Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul), Uruguay, lowlands of N and C Argentina (Santiago del Estero and Corrientes S to Chubut) and C Chile (S Coquimbo S to Valdivia); winters also N to S Peru (Cuzco and Puno), C and E Bolivia (La Paz, Beni and lowland Santa Cruz), C Brazil (Mato Grosso E to Bahia).

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Grasslands and agricultural areas, also grassy edges of marshes and other wetlands. Prefers taller-grass habitats, rather than short grass. In Panama found in savanna with scattered bushes and low trees in sandy soil. In Chile, Argentina and Uruguay often in empty lots within towns or villages, so long as grass and other vegetation taller than c. 1 m. Sea-level to 2500 m in S of range, to 3300 m in Andean portion of distribution. Recorded at sea-level in S Peru (Ica).

Resident in N & W of range. S populations (luteiventris) mostly migratory, some birds making post-breeding flight N as far as S Peru, Bolivia and C Brazil; however, N limits of breeding range and S limits of wintering range of this race are unclear; resident in Chile; large flocks of this yellow-finch seen in Santa Cruz (Bolivia) only in austral winter.

Seeds, probably also arthropods. Forages mostly on ground. Feeds on seedheads of grasses by flying up and alighting on them, causing stem to bend down, and then extracting seed while braced on ground. Singly, in pairs and in small groups; sometimes in larger flocks.

Song , from perch and in flight, a canary-like series of trills, each at slightly different frequency from previous one, and with different cadence, duration 3 seconds to more than 10 seconds; flight song longer than perched song, and during intense singing when female present song escalates and towards end trills more like electronic buzz in quality. In Suriname, song much slower and not sounding so much like a series of trills. Call in flight an explosive disyllabic “pit-tchew!”; also gives churring note in Panama.

Season Feb–Jun, but may breed in all months, in N of range, and males in breeding condition in Jun in Panama and in May in Colombian highlands; in S (race luteiventris) breeds late Aug/Sept–Feb, with up to three broods in a season. In some places may be loosely colonial. Nest a bulky cup of woven grass, placed on ground; in S (luteiventris), nest semi-spherical and comprised of dry grass, with softer lining of feathers, hair or soft grass, placed on ground in thick clump of grass or other vegetation. Clutch in N of range 2–3 eggs; in S tends to be of 3–5 eggs, white with pale blue wash and spotted with grey or brown throughout, spots concentrated at wide end. In a study in S Brazil, clutch size 4 eggs (n = 7 nests), incubation period 11–13 days, nestling period 11–13 days, and 47% of nests successfully fledged young (n = 17); only females constructed the nests, incubated, and provisioned the nestlings (4 Freitas, M.S. and Francisco, M.R. (2012). Nesting behavior of the Grassland Yellow-finch (Sicalis luteola) in southeastern Brazil. Ornitología Neotropical. 23: 341–348. Close ).

Not globally threatened. Common to abundant in S cone of South America; fairly common to uncommon and more local in N of range. Race mexicana rare and local; chrysops very rare in Guatemala. In West Indies, nominate race introduced in Barbados in c. 1900 and subsequently spread to other islands in Lesser Antilles; now uncommon and somewhat local on Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenada, as well as Barbados, and vagrant on Mustique (in Grenadines). Popular as a cagebird.

Alvaro began birding as an 11 year old in Canada, and eventually trained in Evolutionary Ecology studying, creatures as varied as leaf-cutter ants and Argentine cowbirds. But his career has been focused on birding tourism, both as a guide and owner of his tour company, as well as a avitourism consultant to various organizations. He is the author of Birds of Chile, New World Blackbirds: The Icterids, as well as the ABA Field Guide to the birds of California. He lives in Half Moon Bay, California where he is known for his pelagic birding trips. Email: alvaro@alvarosadventures.com.