Puerto Rican bullfinch

Puerto Rican bullfinch
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Thraupidae
Genus: Loxigilla
Species: L. portoricensis
Binomial name
Loxigilla portoricensis
Daudin, 1800

The Puerto Rican bullfinch (Loxigilla portoricensis) or comeñame in Spanish, is a small bullfinch tanager endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico and one of three species belonging to the genus Loxigilla. These were previously considered Emberizidae.

Turnaround video of a L. p. grandis specimen, Naturalis Biodiversity Center

The Puerto Rican bullfinch has black feathers with red areas above the eyes, around its throat, and underneath the tail's base. The species measures from 17 to 19 cm and weighs approximately 32 grams.

The species can be commonly found in heavy forests throughout Puerto Rico, except on the easternmost tip of the island. It consumes seeds, fruits, insects, and spiders. The nest is spherical, with an entrance on the side. Typically three light green eggs are laid.

A subspecies, Loxigilla portoricensis grandis, endemic to St. Kitts and Barbuda was last collected in 1929 and is considered extinct.[2][3]

See also

References

  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Loxigilla portoricensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. Raffaele, H. (1977). "Comments on the extinction of Loxigilla portoricensis grandis in St. Kitts, Lesser Antilles" (PDF). Condor 79 (3): 389–390. doi:10.2307/1368023. JSTOR 1368023.
  3. Steadman, D. W. (1997). "The Birds of St. Kitts, Lesser Antilles" (PDF). Caribbean Journal of Science 33 (1–2): 15–16. Retrieved 2006-12-02.

Further reading


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