Glacier Finch

Idiopsar speculifer (d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837)

Glacier Finch, Idiopsar speculifer, is a bird of the high Andes in central and southern Peru, northern Chile, north-west Argentina and western Bolivia. It belongs to the tanager family Thraupidae. It is linked with high-altitude grassland and wet boggy ground, and it is among the few birds recorded nesting on glaciers. Its nest is a bulky cup built from grass, twigs and feathers, and it may be placed directly on ice. Two eggs are laid in April or May, and the young leave the nest in June or July.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Thraupidae — Tanagers & Allies

Breeding range

South America: c and s Peru to n Chile, nw Argentina, and w Bolivia