Barbados bullfinch - male A short stop-over in Barbados en route home, allowed me a chance of coshing off the endemic Barbados bullfinch - a reasonable split. The closely-related species (Lesser Antillean bullfinch) is common on Saint Lucia, so I was confident of finding it, given a reasonable amount of time around the airport. As we flew in though it became apparent that Barbados is a far cry from Saint Lucia. It is densely populated and lacks trees! Nevertheless I headed for the densest patch of garden visible from the airport gate and was soon watching an eared dove (missed on Saint Lucia). A finchy bird flew from nearby trees to feed in a palm on a roundabout and I gave chase. Sure enough it was the bullfinch - a female and looking very familiar. The field-guide suggests that the males resemble females and the species is monomorphic on Barbados. When the female was joined by the male I was surprised to find it was a dull grey overall, almost lacked any rufous in the plumage and had a pale throat. Clearly different from the female and very different from Lesser Antillean bullfinch. I think Clements was justified splitting this.
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