White-bridled finch

Melanodera melanodera

Photo by Laurent Demongin (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
white-bridled finch (en); escrevedeira-de-sobrolho-branco (pt); mélanodère à sourcils blancs (fr); yal cejiblanco (es); schwarzkehl-ammerfink (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Emberizidae

Range:
This species is found in southern Argentina, from Santa Cruz to Tierra de Fuego, as well as in southern Magellanes in southern Chile and in the Falkland Islands.

Size:
These birds are 14-15 cm long and weigh 25-35 g.

Habitat:
The white-bridled finch is found in dry grasslands and pastures, often near human settlements. On the Falklands they also use grass-heath habitats.

Diet:
They feed on a wide variety of seeds.

Breeding:
White-bridled finches breed in September-February. The nest is made of fine grass and hidden amongst dense ground vegetation or in crevices. The female lays 3-4 blue-grey or grey-green eggs withpurple-brown markings. There is no information regarding the incubation and fledgling periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range but is described as uncommon. The population on the Falklands is estimated at 7.000-14.000 breeding pairs. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to habitat degradation caused by over-grazing