Azores bullfinch
| Azores bullfinch | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Fringillidae |
| Genus: | Pyrrhula |
| Species: | P. murina |
| Binomial name | |
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Pyrrhula murina Godman, 1866 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Pyrrhula pyrrhula murina |
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Pyrrhula pyrrhula murina
The Azores bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina), also known as the São Miguel bullfinch, or locally in Portuguese as the Priolo, is an endangered passerine bird in the true finch family. It is endemic to São Miguel Island, in the Azores archipelago of Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The Azores bullfinch was first described in 1866 by British ornithologist Frederick Godman. It was formerly regarded as a subspecies of the Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula), but was split off in 1993.
According to a 2001 study by Arnaiz-Villena et al. all birds belonging to the genus Pyrrhula originated from the pine grosbeak.
The bullfinch has a length of 15–17 cm and a weight of about 30 g, with males being slightly larger than females. Relative to most other finches in its family it is plump, with shorter wings and a longer tail. The plumage pattern is similar to that of the Eurasian bullfinch, though colouration is more sombre, lacking its bright pink underparts. It has a black cap, face, wings and tail; the rest being greyish or pale grey-brown. Males and females are virtually identical in appearance, though males may exhibit a faint pinkish suffusion on the belly and flanks. The contact call is a distinctive short, flute-like, melancholic whistle.
The bullfinch is now largely restricted to a small area (c. 580 ha) of native laurisilva forest at the eastern end of São Miguel, 300–-800 m asl, mainly centred on Pico da Vara in the Serra da Tronqueira range, but also seasonally (September to December) around Salto do Cavalo, further westwards in the range, probably of juveniles following post-fledging dispersal. It has never been recorded from the western end of the island.
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Wikipedia