Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic note
Melopyrrha portoricensis and M. grandis were previously lumped and listed as Pyrrhulagra portoricensis (del Hoyo and Collar 2016) and before that in the genus Loxigilla following AOU (1998 and supplements); Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993); Stotz et al. (1996). However, Pyrrhulagra now appears to be a junior synonym of Loxigilla, so the name Melopyrrha is adopted. Monotypic.
Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2022. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
| Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
medium |
| Land-mass type |
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: This species is described as 'fairly common' (Stotz et al. 1996). The population has been estimated to number 30,000-37,000 pairs (Nytch et al. 2015); this roughly converts to 60,000-74,000 mature individuals. Although it can be difficult to find, it is widespread across Puerto Rico and is common in forests, plantations, and coastal areas at all elevations (Castro-Prieto et al. 2021, Faaborg and Wiewel 2022). Assuming that 60,000 mature individuals is the absolute minimum therefore, the population is suspected to be fairly large, and is placed here in the band of 60,000-99,999 mature individuals.
Trend justification: The species is inferred to be undergoing a moderate decline due to evidence of reduction after hurricanes, which cause severe habitat loss, with the species having limited adaptability to these post-hurricane environments.
Within its range, tree cover has been lost at a rate of c. 11-12% over the past three generations (11.01 years); since 2016 this has increased to a rate equivalent to c. 25-26% over three generations (Global Forest Watch 2022, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein). However, this acceleration in forest loss was largely driven by the impacts of Hurricane Irma and Maria, which hit Puerto Rico in 2017, causing an annual loss of 10-11% (Global Forest Watch 2022). In the years prior to and after these hurricanes, tree cover loss was <1% per year (Global Forest Watch 2022). The species also occurs in a variety of habitats and may be more stable in the lowlands of Puerto Rico (Castro-Prieto et al. 2021, J. Wunderle in litt. 2022), whilst it also frequents protected areas (Faaborg and Wiewel 2022).
However, it is suspected that population declines may accelerate beyond the rate of tree cover loss alone, primarily due to the limited ability of this species to adapt to post-hurricane environments which are invariably increasing due to climate change (Irizarry
et al. 2021). After Hurricane Maria in 2017, it is thought that the species is particularly facing declines in the higher elevation habitats of Puerto Ricco, perhaps due to increased cover in ferns and grasses, resultantly leading to limited foraging sites and growth of fruit and seed-bearing trees (J. Wunderle
in litt. 2022). Surveys following Hurricane Maria also found that the probability of occupancy and detection had declined in various habitat types (Wunderle 2017, Lloyd
et al. 2019, Irizarry
et al. 2021); for example, the species had disappeared from over 75 sites by 2018 (Lloyd
et al. 2019). Therefore, the population is suspected to be declining at a rate of 20-29% over three generations. This rate may further accelerate in the future as hurricane occurrence increases as a consequence of climate change (Knutson
et al. 2010, Walsh
et al. 2016).
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Species factsheet: Puerto Rican Bullfinch Melopyrrha portoricensis. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/puerto-rican-bullfinch-melopyrrha-portoricensis on 01/01/2025.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2025) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 01/01/2025.
