The grey-crested finch is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is found in Bolivia and northwestern Argentina where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland and heavily degraded former forest. The bird was first described in 1837 by the French ornithologist Frédéric de Lafresnaye and the French zoologist Alcide d'Orbigny after the latter had collected it on an expedition he undertook for the Paris Museum to South America between 1826 and 1833.
Region
Central Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs in intermontane valleys and arid to semi-arid slopes of Bolivia and northwestern Argentina. It favors high-altitude shrublands, dry thorny scrub, and edges of open woodland. The species also uses human-altered landscapes such as fallow fields and heavily degraded former forest. It keeps to low shrubs and the ground, moving between bushes in short flights.
Altitude Range
1200–3500 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Despite its name, this species is a tanager (family Thraupidae), not a true finch. It often raises its neat gray crest when alert or displaying. The species tolerates dry, open, and even degraded habitats and may join mixed-species foraging groups. It was described in 1837 by d'Orbigny and Lafresnaye from specimens collected in the Andes of Bolivia and northwestern Argentina.
Temperament
active and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between shrubs
Social Behavior
Usually found singly, in pairs, or small family groups; outside the breeding season it may join loose mixed-species flocks. Breeding pairs are territorial and build a small cup nest low in shrubs. Both parents tend young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a light, tinkling series of short notes delivered from an exposed perch. Calls include sharp chips and dry trills used to keep contact in low shrubs.
Plumage
Compact, crested tanager with a pale gray head and an erectile gray crest, brownish-gray upperparts, and whitish to pale buff underparts. Wings show pale wingbars and darker flight feathers. Tail is dusky with paler edges; overall appearance is clean and subdued with crisp contrasts on the head.
Diet
Feeds primarily on seeds of grasses and shrubs, which it cracks with its stout conical bill. Supplements the diet with insects and other small arthropods, especially during the breeding season. May also take small berries or other plant material opportunistically.
Preferred Environment
Forages low in thorny scrub, on open ground, along field edges, and in semi-open woodland. Often works through bushy patches, hopping on the ground and making short sallies to seed heads.
