The Greater Antillean bullfinch is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae.
Region
Greater Antilles
Typical Environment
Occurs on Jamaica and Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), including some nearby satellite islands. It occupies a wide range of semi-open habitats such as dry scrub, coastal thickets, secondary growth, and forest edges. The species also uses plantations, gardens, and shrublands around settlements. In mountainous areas it favors brushy edges and clearings rather than dense interior forest. It is generally absent from extensive closed-canopy rainforest.
Altitude Range
0–1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A robust tanager of the Greater Antilles, the Greater Antillean bullfinch has a thick, conical bill well-suited to cracking tough seeds and fruit. Males are mostly black, often with a reddish-orange throat patch that varies among islands, while females are browner and plainer. It adapts readily to human-altered habitats and is a familiar bird in gardens and forest edges. Formerly placed in Emberizidae, it is now treated within the tanager family Thraupidae.
Temperament
pair-forming and moderately territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, especially during breeding, but may join small loose flocks in the non-breeding season. Nests are cup-shaped and placed in dense shrubs or low trees. Both sexes participate in feeding the young, and adults may defend small territories vigorously.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a series of clear whistles and short, chipping phrases delivered from exposed perches. Calls include sharp metallic chips and buzzy notes used in contact and alarm.
Plumage
Males are mostly glossy black with a contrasting reddish to orange throat patch (extent varies by island); females are dull brownish-olive with paler underparts and lack the bright throat. Both sexes have a stout, finch-like bill and relatively plain wings and tail. Plumage is smooth and uniform with minimal streaking.
Diet
Feeds on a mix of seeds, fruits, and flower buds, using its powerful bill to crack hard seeds and husks. It also takes insects and other small invertebrates, especially when feeding young. Occasionally visits flowering plants and cultivated fruiting trees. Diet composition varies seasonally with fruiting and seeding cycles.
Preferred Environment
Forages in low shrubs, thickets, and forest edges, often near the ground to mid-levels. Comfortable around human habitation, it frequents gardens, hedgerows, and plantations. In drier areas it concentrates on scrub and cactus-thorn habitats.
