Sicalis olivascens
The Greenish Yellow Finch (Sicalis olivascens) is a robust and engaging high-altitude songbird, measuring approximately 13.5-14.5 cm in length and weighing 15-20 grams. Its plumage is characterized by an olive-green back and head, often with subtle dusky streaking, transitioning to a duller yellowish-green or pale yellow on the underparts, especially the belly. Distinctive field marks include a relatively stout, conical bill adapted for seed-eating, and a slightly browner wash on the wings an...
This species primarily inhabits high-altitude montane grasslands, rocky slopes, and puna scrublands, typically found between 3,000 and 4,800 meters above sea level in the Andes.
Primarily granivorous, feeding on small seeds gleaned from the ground, supplemented with insects during the breeding season.
Greenish Yellow Finches are diurnal, spending their days foraging actively, often in small, loose flocks outside the breeding season, which can swell during winter. They are primarily ground-gleaners, meticulously searching for seeds among grasses and rocks, sometimes venturing into disturbed are...
The Greenish Yellow Finch is an endemic resident of the high Andes of South America, with its distribution stretching across Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile, and northwestern Argentina. The nominate subspecies, S. o. olivascens, has the broadest range, occurring from southern Peru through Bolivia t...
Least Concern
- Despite its common name 'finch,' the Greenish Yellow Finch belongs to the tanager family (Thraupidae), a common taxonomic twist in South American ornithology. - It is one of the highest-dwelling passerines in the Andes, regularly found at elevations exceeding 4,500 meters, thriving in condition...