A small, slender finch found in savanna, grasslands, fields, and thorn scrub. Cream-colored below and brown above with darker wings, a long, dark tail, and a thick silvery-gray bill. The tail is longer and more pointed than in other small finches. Often seen in flocks in semiarid savanna and plains, agricultural areas, and marshes. Male call is a metallic “tink” or “tsip”; female’s is a double note. Song is a peaking series of notes ending in a trill. Native to Africa; introduced to the Hawaiian Islands.