CreatureData

Saffron finch

Sicalis flaveola (Linnaeus, 1766)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola) is a species in the family Thraupidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 16.9 g to 22 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola)
Photo: @LuizAlves1990 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the saffron finch

Weight
16.9 g – 22 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Granivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
3src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the saffron finch live?

Not recorded

What is the saffron finch?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola) is a tanager from South America that is common in open and semi-open areas in lowlands outside the Amazon Basin. They have a wide distribution in Colombia, northern Venezuela (where it is called "canario de tejado" or "roof canary"), western Ecuador, western Peru, eastern and southern Brazil (where it is called "canário-da-terra" or "native canary"), Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, northern Argentina, and Trinidad and Tobago. It has also been introduced to Hawaii, Panama, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and elsewhere. Although commonly regarded as a canary, it is not related to the Atlantic canary. Formerly, it was placed in the Emberizidae but it is close to the seedeaters.

From the Wikipedia article “Saffron finch” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saffron_finch&oldid=1348853645), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the saffron finch sound like?

Eurico Zimbres · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the saffron finch endangered?

The saffron finch is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the saffron finch classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyThraupidae
  6. genusSicalis
  7. SpeciesSicalis flaveola (Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms Sicalis striata

Other names and names in other languages (51)
  • Saffron yellow finchEnglish
  • Saffron yellow-finchEnglish
  • sical safranósCatalan
  • šafránka velkáCzech
  • pila melyn penloywWelsh
  • SafranfinkeDanish
  • SafranammerGerman
  • Safran-GilbammerGerman
  • SafrangilbammerGerman
  • SafrangilbtangareGerman
  • safrana sikaloEsperanto
  • Jilguero comúnSpanish
  • Canario coronadoSpanish
  • Canario de TejadoSpanish
  • Chirigüe azafranadoSpanish
  • Chirihue azafránSpanish
  • DoradoSpanish
  • Gorrión azafránSpanish
  • Jilguero doradoSpanish
  • Pinzón azafránSpanish
  • sahramisirkkunenFinnish
  • Sicale bouton-d'orFrench
  • Sicale bouton-d’orFrench
  • žuti sjemenarCroatian
  • sáfránypintyHungarian
  • Botton d'oroItalian
  • Fringuello zafferanoItalian
  • キンノジコJapanese
  • krokinis sikalisLithuanian
  • Gewone SaffraangorsDutch
  • Gewone saffraanvinkDutch
  • safranspurvNorwegian
  • KanariPapiamento
  • Parha HelPapiamento
  • SaffraanvinkPapiamento
  • szafranka złotogłowaPolish
  • canário-açafrãoPortuguese
  • canário-da-hortaPortuguese
  • canário-da-terraPortuguese
  • canário-da-terra-verdadeiroPortuguese
  • Шафрановый вьюрокRussian
  • Шафрановый зерноедRussian
  • Шафрановый сикалисRussian
  • šafranka zlatočeláSlovak
  • Šafran zebaSerbian
  • saffransgulfinkSwedish
  • saffranstangaraSwedish
  • Safran İspinozuTurkish
  • посвірж золотоголовийUkrainian
  • 桔黃雀鵐Chinese
  • 橙黄雀鹀Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the saffron finch

Other species in the same genus Sicalis.

CompareSaffron finch vs Orange-fronted yellow finchSaffron finch vs Patagonian yellow finchSaffron finch vs Grassland yellow finchSaffron finch vs Bright-rumped yellow finch

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the saffron finch?

An adult saffron finch weighs 16.9 g – 22 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the saffron finch endangered?

The saffron finch is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the saffron finch?

The saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola) belongs to the family Thraupidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/saffron-finch

MLA

“Saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/saffron-finch.

BibTeX
@misc{saffron_finch_2026,
  title = {Saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/saffron-finch},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}