Sicalis


Sicalis is a genus of birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. Sometimes classified in the bunting and American sparrow family Emberizidae, more recent studies have shown it to belong in the Thraupidae.

Taxonomy and species list

The genus Sicalis was introduced in 1828 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie. The name is from the Ancient Greek σικαλίς/sikalis, a small, black-headed bird, mentioned by Epicharmus, Aristotle, and other authors. It was perhaps a warbler in the genus Sylvia. The type species is the saffron finch. The genus now contains 13 species.
ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Sicalis citrinaStripe-tailed yellow finchArgentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela
Sicalis taczanowskiiSulphur-throated finchEcuador and Peru
Sicalis uropigyalisBright-rumped yellow finchthe Altiplano of Peru, Bolivia and northern Chile and Argentina
Sicalis flaveolaSaffron finchEcuador, western Peru, eastern and southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, northern Argentina, and Trinidad and Tobago
Sicalis columbianaOrange-fronted yellow finchBrazil, Colombia and Venezuela
Sicalis luteolaGrassland yellow finchColombia south and east to the Guianas and central Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. Birds which breed further south in Argentina and Uruguay migrate to Bolivia and southern Brazil in the austral winter. There are also isolated populations in Central America and Mexico
Sicalis luteocephalaCitron-headed yellow finchAndes of Bolivia and far northern Argentina
Sicalis lebruniPatagonian yellow finchArgentina and Tierra del Fuego; also Chile.
Sicalis olivascensGreenish yellow finchthe Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru
Sicalis mendozaeMonte yellow finchwestern Argentina.
Sicalis auriventrisGreater yellow finchArgentina and Chile
Sicalis raimondiiRaimondi's yellow finchPeru
Sicalis luteaPuna yellow finchArgentina, Bolivia, and Peru