Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Genus: Chloris
Species: C. monguilloti (Delacour, 1926)
Subspecies: Monotypic (no recognized subspecies)
Appearance:
The Vietnamese Greenfinch is a flashing vision in midnight black and daffodil-yellow with a deeply forked tail. Males tend to be darker than females, featuring a solid black back and dark streaking on the breast. Females, in contrast, have a patchier back and thinner streaks. Both sexes are characterized by a dark head, a thin yellow collar, and bright wing panels.
Notable Features:
The contrasting black and yellow coloration, along with the bright wing panels and deeply forked tail, are key identifiers. The male’s darker appearance and more prominent streaking on the breast set it apart from the female.
Elevation Range:
Found between 1,050 to 1,900 meters, although it has been reported as low as 600 meters.
Preferred Environment:
This species favors foothills and mountainous pine forests, particularly Khasi pine (Pinus kesiya) forests and adjacent edges. It inhabits open pine forests, secondary growth, and forest edges near cultivation.
Distribution:
The Vietnamese Greenfinch is endemic to the Da Lat Plateau of south Annam, Vietnam, where it is locally common.
Foraging Behavior:
The Vietnamese Greenfinch is typically found foraging in small flocks within pine forests. It feeds on seeds from pine trees and has also been observed flycatching recently hatched termites.
Vocalization:
The species gives dry twitters and a typical finch-like wheezy upswept note. Its song consists of a series of dry, “ticking” trills followed by an upswept note.
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