Crimson-breasted finch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Crimson-breasted finch |
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Rhodospingus
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| Species: |
cruentus
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The crimson-breasted finch (Rhodospingus cruentus) is a small, colorful bird. It is also sometimes called the crimson finch-tanager. This bird lives in the woodlands and scrub areas of western Ecuador and nearby north-western Peru. It is the only species in its group, which scientists call Rhodospingus.
For a long time, scientists thought this bird was part of the sparrow family (Emberizidae). However, new studies looking at its DNA showed it actually belongs to the tanager family (Thraupidae).
Male and female crimson-breasted finches look very different. This is called being sexually dichromatic. The males are dark on their backs. They have bright orange-red feathers on their chest and on the top of their heads. Females are much duller in color, mostly a plain greyish-buff.
Naming the Crimson-breasted Finch
The crimson-breasted finch was first officially named in 1844. A French naturalist named René Lesson gave it the two-part scientific name Tiaris cruentus. The place where this bird was first found and described was Guayaquil in Ecuador.
Today, the crimson-breasted finch is the only species in its group, called Rhodospingus. This group was created by an English bird expert, Richard Bowdler Sharpe, in 1888. The name Rhodospingus comes from two old Greek words. Rhodon means "rose," and spingos means "finch." The second part of its scientific name, cruentus, is a Latin word meaning "bloody." This probably refers to the male's bright red color.
This bird is considered monotypic. This means there are no different types or subspecies of the crimson-breasted finch recognized by scientists.
Gallery
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A male crimson-breasted finch
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Another view of a crimson-breasted finch
