Embernagra platensis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The Pampa finch (Embernagra platensis), also known as the great Pampa-finch, is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The Pampa finch was formally described in 1789 with the binomial Emberiza platensis. It was later declared the type species for the genus Embernagra that had been erected in 1831.
The Pampa finch's further taxonomy is complicated and not fully resolved. Some early twentieth century authors placed the genus Embernagra in the finch family Carduelidae. Others later reassigned it to what was then a large family of Old and New World species, Emberizidae. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that the Pampa finch belonged in the tanager family Thraupidae. The Pampa finch shares genus Embernagra with the serra finch (E. longicauda), which some systems call the pale-throated Pampa-finch.
Most taxonomic systems assign these four subspecies to the Pampa finch: However, as of late 2025 the Clements taxonomy includes... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Cordoba | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 4 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 5 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Great Pampa-Finch sighting in Montevideo on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 168th most-seen of the 178 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Great Pampa-Finch in Montevideo on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Great Pampa-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.
4th of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Great Pampa-Finch sightings, Montevideo ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Curitiba (Brazil, about 10%), Cordoba (Argentina, about 10%) and Asuncion (Paraguay, under 5%).
Same family: Thraupidae
The closest relatives of the Great Pampa-Finch that you can see in Montevideo (family Thraupidae, Tanagers and Allies) are Brazilian Cardinal (about 40%), Saffron Finch (about 30%) and Sayaca Tanager (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Great Pampa-Finch is recorded against all the birds logged in Montevideo (6 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.
