Photo: Jon Irvine / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Plain-tailed Warbling Finch
Microspingus alticola
Plain-tailed Warbling Finch (Microspingus alticola) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South America.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Plain-tailed Warbling Finch (Microspingus alticola) is a member of the Thraupidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 24 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Thraupidae Tanagers & Allies
- Genus Microspingus
- Species alticola
Quick facts
- Weight
- 24 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Near Threatened
Not Evaluated
Near Threatened
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Plain-tailed Warbling Finch is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Plain-tailed Warbling Finch is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Plain-tailed Warbling Finch (Microspingus alticola) is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It is found across South America. Its distribution covers SA Peru.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 24 g, with a wing length of about 7.3 cm and a tail of around 7.9 cm.
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened. That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 9,865 km² — a relatively restricted global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Plain-tailed Warbling Finch?
The Plain-tailed Warbling Finch is a small bird that weighs around 24 g.
Where does the Plain-tailed Warbling Finch live?
The Plain-tailed Warbling Finch is found across South America with a range covering SA Peru, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Plain-tailed Warbling Finch belong to?
The Plain-tailed Warbling Finch (Microspingus alticola) belongs to the Thraupidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Plain-tailed Warbling Finch eat?
The Plain-tailed Warbling Finch is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Plain-tailed Warbling Finch migrate?
The Plain-tailed Warbling Finch is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Plain-tailed Warbling Finch endangered?
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
What sound does the Plain-tailed Warbling Finch make?
1 real field recording of the Plain-tailed Warbling Finch — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Plain-tailed Warbling Finch's range?
The Plain-tailed Warbling Finch has a mapped global range of about 9,865 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Thraupidae
A field guide to the Thraupidae family — 394 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.