English          -         Saffron Finch

Portuguese   -         Canário-da-terra-verdadeiro

Latin              -          Sicalis flaveola   

The Saffron Finch is from the South American tanager family but over past years there has been some debate as to whether it should belong to the same family as sparrows, etc. 

The Saffron Finch has yellow-green upperparts, yellow underparts, and an orange crown. Wing and tail feathers are black edged with yellow, gray upper mandible and ivory lower mandible, pink-gray legs and feet. The female is more dull in color and has paler underparts.

They can be found in open and semi-open habitats of northern Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and north-east Brazil to central Argentina. 

They are mainly seed and grain eaters, but will feed on various insects and plants as well, especially when breeding.

Male saffron Finches are highly territorial and will fight to the death. For this reason, they are sometimes used as fighting birds in South America. They love to fly and enjoy bathing. The male is more likely to sing than the female. The song is repetitive. 

 Saffron Finches mate for life. They are “cavity nesters,” meaning they prefer the inside of trees or a hollowed-out area in bushes. The nests they build tends to be rather crude. Alternatively, they might use the abandoned nests of other birds. The female incubates the eggs by herself while the male guards the nest. They lay three to five eggs, which can be brown or white with brown spots, two to three times per year, which hatch in approximately 14 days. Both parents feed the hatchlings, which begin to fledge at about two weeks. They acquire adult plumage at one to three years, with males maturing more slowly than females. The saffron finch reaches sexual maturity at about 2 years of age. The birds live up to around 10 years. 

The Saffrein Finch is widely distributed and common throughout South America, thus the species is considered “of Least Concern”.

Photo No 1 was taken at Domingo Martins

Photo No 2 was taken at Santa Teresa