- Euphonia affinis
Identification
A tiny 9-11cm (3½-4¼ in) finch with short bill, curved culmen.
- Male is glossy blue-black (the perception of color depending on the light) with a golden-yellow forecrown patch and yellow underparts. The throat and bib are black.
Female is olive below, with lighter, more yellow breast, and greenish-olive back.
Variation
Most populations have yellow crissum, but this area is white in godmani from western Mexico.
Distribution
Central America: found in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Taxonomy
Once considered to be tanagers, modern classification puts the Euphonias in the finch family.
Subspecies
- E. a. olmecorum:
- Southern Mexico (Oaxaca and Chiapas)
- E. a. affinis:
- Tropical eastern Mexico (Tamaulipas) to north-western Costa Rica
- E. a. godmani:
- -Arid tropical western Mexico (south-eastern Sonora to Guerrero)
Habitat
Broad-leaf deciduous forests, scrub, brushy fields, and agricultural areas. Prefers drier habitat than other Euphonias.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists almost entirely of various fruits, such as mistletoe and figs.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved April 2016)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Scrub Euphonia. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 21 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Scrub_Euphonia
