- Melanospiza richardsoni
Identification
13-14 cm, 5.5 inches. The male is entirely black with pink legs. The female has gray head in contrast to brown back and buffy underparts.
Similar species
Found lower and more concealed than the Lesser Antillean Bullfinch. Both sexes have heavier beaks and more pink legs than the LAB, and additionally have the habit of bobbing tail up and down. Male LAB has rufous throat, while the female has gray-brown head in no contrast to the back and grayish underparts. Legs are grey to black.
Distribution
Endemic to St. Lucia.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Black-faced Grassquit has recently been shown to be closely related to this species.
Habitat
Found in dense understory vegetation often seeking food in the leaf litter.
Behaviour
The diet includes seeds, fruit and insects; it is a ground feeder.
It nests in a spherical nest of twigs built in a low shrub or palm about 2 m above ground.
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/
- Raffaele, H, J Wiley, OH Garrido, A Keith, JI Raffaele. 2003. Birds of the West Indies. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691113197
- SACC proposal where part 4 describes merging Black-faced Grassquit into the same genus as St. Lucia Black Finch
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) St. Lucia Black Finch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/St._Lucia_Black_Finch
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
