Duida Grass-Finch Emberizoides duidae Scientific name definitions

This Venezuelan endemic is not known in life, only from a handful of specimens. Efforts should be made to find it and document its biology and true status. The Duida Grass-Finch was once thought to be conspecific with the Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch (Emberizoides herbicola). It is now treated as a separate species due to evidence that the range of the two may overlap with Duida Grass-Finch found in higher elevations. The Duida Grass-Finch is much darker than the Wedge-tailed. Duida Grass-Finch is restricted to the grassy mountaintop of Cerro Duida, and it is found nowhere else in the world. This isolated habitat appears to be under no immediate pressure, largely to the inaccessible nature of the place.

22 cm. A stocky finch with thickset body, looking relatively slim owing to very long and pointed tail, and with moderately deep-based bill with slightly curved culmen; tail feathers lanceolate, and inner two pairs very long and sharply pointed, giving tail a forked shape in some views, but quickly abrades, leaving only pointed shafts. Has rather plain dark brownish face with darker lores, contrasting whitish supraloral stripe and narrow whitish eyering; forehead blackish, crown brown with widely blackish streaking (looking black more than brown); mantle and scapulars olive, boldly streaked blackish, rest of upperparts cinnamon-brown, boldly streaked blackish, streaks similar in width to visible background colour; tail feathers dark-centred, edged brown; upperwing brownish, widely edged yellow-green; throat whitish-buff, pale brownish breastband, buff flanks and white belly, flanks and vent streaked; iris dark brown; bill largely yellowish, blackish culmen; legs brownish. Sexes alike. Juvenile is streaked on breast, and white of underparts replaced by buffy.

Cerro Duida (Amazonas), in S Venezuela.

Savanna habitats in upper tropical and subtropical zone; 1300–2100 m.

Presumed sedentary.

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Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near-threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Tepuis EBA. Not known in life, but only from a handful of specimens. Has tiny global range, restricted to a single mountain. Although its habitats are secure at present, and mostly inaccessible to humans, any future changes in land use or in climate could lead to its becoming threatened. Efforts should be made to find this species and to document its biology and ecology and its current population level.

Alvaro began birding as an 11 year old in Canada, and eventually trained in Evolutionary Ecology studying, creatures as varied as leaf-cutter ants and Argentine cowbirds. But his career has been focused on birding tourism, both as a guide and owner of his tour company, as well as a avitourism consultant to various organizations. He is the author of Birds of Chile, New World Blackbirds: The Icterids, as well as the ABA Field Guide to the birds of California. He lives in Half Moon Bay, California where he is known for his pelagic birding trips. Email: alvaro@alvarosadventures.com.