The Patagonian sierra finch is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Argentina and Chile.
Region
Patagonia and southern Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs in southern Argentina and Chile, favoring the ecotone between Patagonian steppe and Andean forests. Common in Nothofagus (southern beech) woodlands, forest edges, riparian thickets, and shrublands. Also uses open scrub, clearings, and human-modified areas like campsites and roadsides. It adapts well to the region’s persistent winds by keeping low and using dense cover.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Despite the name, this species is a tanager (family Thraupidae) rather than a true finch. It is a characteristic bird of the windswept Patagonian region, often seen at forest edges and shrubby steppe. Males show a gray hood contrasting with yellowish underparts, while females are duller and more brownish. It frequently forages on the ground and may gather in small flocks outside the breeding season.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with undulating flight
Social Behavior
Breeds in pairs that defend small territories, placing a cup nest low in shrubs or dense vegetation. Outside the breeding season it forms small flocks and may associate loosely with other seedeaters. Displays simple ground and low-shrub foraging, with brief chases during courtship.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A bright, finch-like warble delivered from a low perch or shrub top. Calls include sharp chips and thin tseet notes used for contact within small groups.
Plumage
Male with a gray hood and breast, olive to gray-olive upperparts, and yellow to yellow-olive underparts; female is browner with more subdued, sometimes lightly streaked underparts. Both sexes often show faint pale wingbars and a clean, conical bill.
Diet
Feeds on grass and forb seeds, buds, and small berries, supplemented by insects and other small invertebrates, especially in the breeding season. Often picks seeds from the ground or low herbaceous plants. Opportunistic, shifting to whatever seed sources are seasonally abundant.
Preferred Environment
Forages on open ground, along paths, in scrubby clearings, and at forest edges. Will also feed in riparian thickets and near human campsites where seeds are plentiful.
