- Melopyrrha violacea
Loxigilla violacea
Identification
13·2–17·5 cm,; large strong bill
- Black
- Reddish-orange short supercilium, throat and under-tail-coverts
Male like female, but she is slightly duller.
Juvenile like adult but grey to olive
Distribution
Caribbean (West Indies): found in the Bahamas and among the Greater Antilles, found in Hispaniola and Jamaica.
Taxonomy
This species has in the past been placed in genus Loxigilla.
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies[1]:
- M. v. violacea:
- M. v. maurella:
- Tortue, Gonâve and Saona islands (off Hispaniola)
- M. v. affinis:
- Hispaniola and Isla Catalina
- M. v. parishi:
- Île-á-Vache and Beata Islands (off Hispaniola)
- M. v. ruficollis:
Habitat
Found in forest undergrowth especially at mid to high elevation. Also in vegetated ocean shorelines.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on fruit, flower buds, and seeds. It has a powerful bill for opening seeds.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved August 2014)
- Raffaele et al. 1998. Birds of the West Indies. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0713649054
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Greater Antillean Bullfinch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Greater_Antillean_Bullfinch
