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Saffron Finch Life History

Habitat

Towns

Saffron Finches inhabit semiopen areas with scattered trees or shrubs. In their native range they use open dry forest, savanna, scrub habitats, and forest and marsh edges. They are also common on lawns and roadsides in towns and cities, in both their native and introduced ranges.

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Food

Seeds

Saffron Finches forage on the ground, eating mostly seeds and small arthropods.

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Nesting

Nest Placement

Cavity

Placed in palm fronds or cavities, including pipes, roof eaves, or light fixtures. Birds in central and southern South America usually place the nest within old stick or mud nests of other birds.

Nest Description

A bulky cup made of dry grasses and lined with hair and other soft materials.

Nesting Facts

Egg Description:

Creamy or pale greenish, with extensive dark speckling.

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Behavior

Ground Forager

Saffron Finches are social birds, sometimes forming large flocks. They feed on the ground in open areas including on lawns in urban areas, and males sing from prominent perches like fenceposts and powerlines.

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Conservation

Low Concern

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists Saffron Finch's conservation status as Least Concern.

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Credits

BirdLife International. 2018. Sicalis flaveola. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22723346A132162254. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22723346A132162254.en.

Floyd, Ted (2025). Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada. Eighth edition. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.

Gwynne, J. A., R. S. Ridgely, G. Tudor, and M. Argel (2010). Birds of Brazil: the Pantanal and Cerrado. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA.

Pratt, H.D., Bruner, P.L. and Berrett, D.G. (1987). A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, New Jersey.

Rising, J. D., A. Jaramillo, and V. Pantoja-Maggi (2024). Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, E. de Juana, and M. G. Smith, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.saffin.01.1

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