Description: A high-Andean seedeater about 14 cm long, with bright yellow bill and legs in both sexes and a white band at the base of the tail, very visible in flight. Male: bluish gray to lead gray, with slightly dusky lores and fine dark streaks on the back; belly and undertail coverts whitish. In breeding plumage the bill becomes a deeper yellow and the face darker. Female: brown, strongly streaked above; conspicuous pale eyering and pale belly with variable streaking; bill and legs yellow but duller than in the male. Juvenile: similar to the female, browner and duller. Easily distinguished from the Band-tailed Seedeater (R. fruticeti) by the white tail band (absent in fruticeti), while fruticeti shows white wingbars absent in this species. In addition, the female of this species has a conspicuous pale periocular area, while the Band-tailed Seedeater female shows darker cinnamon cheeks and periocular area.
Geographical distribution: Andes from Venezuela and Colombia south through Peru, Bolivia, and central Chile. In Argentina: the northwest (Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Catamarca) and the sierras of Córdoba and San Luis, between 1,600 and 3,500 m. Resident with altitudinal movements.
Habitat: High-Andean shrub steppes, ravines, stony plains with scattered shrubs, rocky outcrops, and mountain slopes. Also found in open highland grasslands.
Behavior: Fairly terrestrial. Moves in pairs or small groups, and in winter joins mixed flocks with other seedeaters and sierra-finches. The male performs a characteristic aerial display, rising up to 20 m and descending “parachute-style” while singing. Flight is low and undulating. Song is sharp, metallic, and scratchy, repeated in series and given both from perches and during display flights.
Diet: Mainly seeds and, to a lesser extent, invertebrates, which it searches for mostly on the ground.
Reproduction: Nest on the ground, among grasses or shrubs; a cup made of fine grasses and soft materials. Clutch of up to 5 greenish eggs with brown and lilac spots.
Conservation status: Not threatened. Locally common in suitable habitats.
Authors of this compilation: Diego Carus and Maria Belén Dri – 06/12/2025