Coal-crested Finch

The coal-crested finch, Charitospiza eucosma, is a distinctive passerine bird in the family Thraupidae native to the cerrado biome of central South America, occurring in Brazil, Bolivia, and marginally in Argentina. This small, sexually dimorphic finch inhabits the campo sujo and campo limpo grassland types within the cerrado, an ancient tropical savanna ecosystem supporting extraordinary biodiversity and endemism. The male is striking in appearance, bearing a bold black crest, black face mask, and contrasting white and chestnut plumage, while the female is more cryptically patterned in brownish tones. The species forages primarily on or near the ground for grass seeds and small invertebrates in open, grassy habitats with sparse shrub cover. Charitospiza eucosma is monotypic in its genus and holds a somewhat isolated phylogenetic position among South American seedeaters. It is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN, with the cerrado having experienced one of the highest deforestation rates of any tropical biome globally, losing over 50 percent of its natural vegetation to agriculture, particularly soybean cultivation and cattle ranching. Remaining grassland habitats are further degraded by altered fire regimes and invasive African grasses that structurally homogenize the landscape, reducing suitability for specialist grassland birds.