Long-tailed Reed Finch

Long-tailed Reed Finch

Donacospiza albifrons

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Buenos Aires

In 3 days <5%

43 Verified sightings at Buenos Aires
506 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Long-tailed Reed Finch

The long-tailed reed finch (Donacospiza albifrons) is a species of South American bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of its genus Donacospiza. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Its natural habitats are temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, and swamps. The long-tailed reed finch was formally described in 1817 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot under the binomial name Sylvia albifrons. Vieillot based his description on the Cola Aguda del Vientre de Canela that had been described by the Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara in 1805 based on a specimen obtained in Paraguay. The long-tailed reed finch is now the only member of the genus Donacospiza that was introduced in 1851 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek donax meaning "reed" or "cane" with spiza meaning "finch". The specific epithet combines the Latin albus meaning "white" with frons meaning "forehead" or "front". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

Xeno-canto: audio recordings of the long-tailed... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:42

Argentina · 2026

© Diego Caiafa · XC1070397 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:35

Brazil · 2025

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC1052975 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Duet0:24

Brazil · 2021

© Guilherme Renzo Rocha Brito · XC681156 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
2 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
3 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Curitiba 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
2 Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
3 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Long-tailed Reed Finch in Buenos Aires?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Reed Finch sighting in Buenos Aires on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 219th most-seen of the 274 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Long-tailed Reed Finch in Buenos Aires?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Reed Finch in Buenos Aires on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Long-tailed Reed Finch?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-tailed Reed Finch sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Buenos Aires the best place to see a Long-tailed Reed Finch?

Among the best

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Long-tailed Reed Finch sightings, Buenos Aires ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Curitiba (Brazil, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Long-tailed Reed Finch live in Buenos Aires?

Same family: Thraupidae

The closest relatives of the Long-tailed Reed Finch that you can see in Buenos Aires (family Thraupidae, Tanagers and Allies) are Saffron Finch (about 60%), Brazilian Cardinal (about 40%) and Sayaca Tanager (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Long-tailed Reed Finch sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Long-tailed Reed Finch is recorded against all the birds logged in Buenos Aires (43 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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