Emberizoides ypiranganus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The lesser grass finch (Emberizoides ypiranganus), also known as the gray-cheeked grass-finch, is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The lesser grass finch was formally described in 1907 with the trinomial Emberizoides macrourus ypiranganus. The specific epithet macrourus was soon dropped from the name. At the time the genus Emberizoides was included in a large family of Old and New World species, Emberizidae. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that the lesser grass finch belonged in the tanager family Thraupidae. Some authors have treated the lesser grass finch and the wedge-tailed grass finch (E. herbicola) as conspecific but a 1982 publication confirmed them as separate species.
The lesser grass finch shares the genus Emberizoides with the wedge-tailed grass finch and the Duida grass finch (E. duida). It is monotypic. The lesser grass finch is 18 to 20 cm (7.1 to 7.9 in) long and weighs 18.5 to 22 g (0.65 to 0.78 oz). It has a long pointed tail and a moderately thick bill. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a greenish... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Emas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Grass-Finch sighting in El Palmar National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 145th most-seen of the 151 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Grass-Finch in El Palmar National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February and April–December, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Grass-Finch sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Lesser Grass-Finch sightings, El Palmar National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 30%) and Emas National Park (Brazil, about 10%).
Same family: Thraupidae
The closest relatives of the Lesser Grass-Finch that you can see in El Palmar National Park (family Thraupidae, Tanagers and Allies) are Golden-billed Saltator (about 80%), Sayaca Tanager (about 70%) and Brazilian Cardinal (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Grass-Finch is recorded against all the birds logged in El Palmar National Park (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
