Cuban Bullfinch Melopyrrha nigra Scientific name definitions

Despite its English name, for many years the Cuban Bullfinch was not considered to be a strict Cuban endemic. However, recently the population found on the island of Grand Cayman has been recognized as a separate species—Grand Cayman Bullfinch (Melopyrrha taylori)—due to differences in plumage and size between it and the birds in Cuba and Grand Cayman; there is, however, a need to study the relationships between these two populations using molecular techniques. The Cuban species is common to uncommon across the main island of Cuba, as well as on the Isle of Youth, and on many offshore cays, especially off the north coast. Cuban Bullfinch prefers tropical dry forest and thickets, scrubby vegetation and forested areas, and is generally common from sea level up to 1,300 m. It is a small, round-winged finch with a short, thick, and strongly curved bill with a convex culmen. Males are largely black with a white wing patch, whereas females and immatures are duller, more charcoal (less glossy) black, and possess a smaller white wing patch. Cuban Bullfinch feeds on seeds, small fruits, flower nectar, and insects, and breeds mainly between March and August. It constructs a large globular nest, and lays three to five eggs in the wild. The population is now considered Near Threatened according to IUCN Red List criteria. Habitat loss and, especially, the taking of live birds for the now illegal cagebird trade (both domestic and internationally) are the main threats to the species’ survival.