Greater Antillean Bullfinch (Pyrrhulagra violacea)

Other Names (World)
Greater Antillean Bullfinch, Jamaican Bullfinch (ruficollis)

Family
Thraupidae (Tanagers)

Size
15 - 18 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Habitat
Subtropical and tropical moist lowland forest. From sea-level - 2,000 m.

Range (Guide)

Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica (B), Turks and Caicos Islands.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (16)...)

Greater Antillean Bullfinch (Melopyrrha violacea) [XC426026]
by Nick Komar from Ecclesdown Road, Portland Parish, Jamaica (song)

Greater Antillean Bullfinch (Melopyrrha violacea) [XC775667]
by Paul Driver from Andros, Bahamas, Bahamas (song)

Subspecies
Genus may belong in tanager family (Thraupidae). Appears to be part of a clade which also includes several other Caribbean genera (Euneornis, Loxipasser, Melopyrrha, Melanospiza), Tiaris grassquits, Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola), and "Darwin's finches" (Certhidea, Platyspiza, Pinaroloxias, Camarhynchus, Geospiza). Several subspecies differ almost exclusively on size, and validity questionable.

Proposed subspecies parishi (described from I �� Vache) supposedly differs on smaller size, but measurements do not confirm this. Birds of Beata (and previously those of Catalina) sometimes allotted to this subspecies. Birds of Gonave and Saona sometimes placed in maurella.

The following 6 subspecies are recognised:

violacea (Linnaeus, 1758) - Most of the larger islands in Bahamas.
ofella Buden, 1986 - Middle and East Caicos Is (southern Bahamas).
affinis (Ridgway, 1898) - Hispaniola, and offshore islands of Gon��ve, �� Vache, Beata, Catalina and Saona.
maurella Wetmore, 1929 - Tortue I (off north-western Hispaniola).
ruficollis (Gmelin, JF, 1789) - Jamaica.
parishi Wetmore, 1931 - �le-�-Vache and Beata I. (off Hispaniola).

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Greater Antillean Bullfinch (Pyrrhulagra violacea) - 10 files

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BirdLife International

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