A 13–14 cm seedeater, robust, with a distinctive short, thick, pinkish bill. Male: ashy gray with fine streaking on the back, gray throat, darker gray breast, and light gray belly; under-tail coverts reddish-chestnut. Wings and tail blackish with no white wing bars (also absent in females). Lores without a marked black patch. Legs pink to gray-pink. Female: grayish-brown, heavily streaked above and below; mantle with dark brown streaks; under-tail coverts dull cinnamon; bill dull pinkish-orange. Juvenile: browner, very streaked, with a darker bill. Compared to the Common Yellow-billed Seedeater (C. analis), the Greater has no white in the wings or tail, has a pink bill (not bright yellow), a more uniformly gray body, a finely streaked back, and the male is both metrically and visually larger and duller, while the Common is smaller, more bluish, and shows very conspicuous white wing bars.
Distribution: Broad Andean distribution from Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, south through Bolivia and into north–central Argentina; present in Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Catamarca, La Rioja, Mendoza, and the Sierras of Córdoba and San Luis. Found between 2,500–3,900 m (from 1,500 m in the Sierras Centrales). Resident, with local movements in search of food.
Habitat: High Andean steppes, shrubby ravines, rocky slopes with grasslands, edges of Polylepis woodlands, tall grasslands, montane shrublands, and grasslands of Pampa de Achala.
Behavior: Commonly found in pairs, and in winter in small flocks, sometimes with other seedeaters. Forages mainly on the ground among tall grasses or shrubs, climbing stems to extract seeds. Low, short flights. Often sings from low shrubs. Song consists of fine whistles followed by slow, buzzing trills, sometimes rising or falling.
Diet: Seeds (especially composites and grasses). Also takes berries and insects. Feeds on the ground, in tall grasses, and on dry stems.
Nesting: Cup-shaped nest, well hidden in clumps of cortadera, dense grasslands, or low shrubs; made of grasses, roots, fibers, hair, or wool. Clutch of 3–4 eggs.
Conservation status: Species with no threat category. Common where open montane grasslands and shrublands occur.
Authors of this compilation: Diego Carus and Maria Belén Dri – 06/12/2025