Grand Cayman Bullfinch Melopyrrha taylori Scientific name definitions

Previously lumped with the Cuban Bullfinch (Melopyrrha nigra), the Grand Cayman Bullfinch is, as its name suggests, confined to the largest island in the Cayman archipelago, with just a single record from the smaller island of Little Cayman that cannot definitely be assigned to species now. On Grand Cayman the “Black Sparrow”, as it is known locally, is common, especially in tropical dry forest and thickets, scrubby vegetation and forested areas, but has become noticeably scarcer across the westernmost third of the island since the 1980s due to human growth and development. A small, slightly rotund finch with a short, thick, and strongly curved bill with a convex culmen, males are largely black with a white wing patch that is obvious both at rest and in flight, whereas females and immatures are duller, grayish olive with a darker head. This species feeds on seeds, small fruits, flower nectar, and insects, and breeds from sometime in the first three months of the year until midway through the second half. It constructs a large globular nest or an open arch of twigs backed by a tree bole with a rough nest cup, and lays three to four eggs. The significance of the two different nest types that have been reported clearly merits further research.