About Idiopsar speculifer (d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837)
The glacier finch, scientifically named Idiopsar speculifer, is also commonly called the white-winged diuca finch and the glacier bird. It is a bird species that belongs to the tanager family Thraupidae. This species is distributed across Peru, Bolivia, and the far northern regions of Chile and Argentina. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, and it prefers wet, boggy areas within this habitat. It is one of only a few bird species that have been recorded nesting on high altitude glaciers, which is how it got the alternative name "glacier bird". Its nest is a bulky cup-shaped structure built from grass, twigs, and feathers. The nest can weigh as much as half a pound, and it may be placed directly on ice. The female lays two eggs in April or May, and the young finches leave the nest in June or July.
