Pendulum Finches

Pendulum Finches are a type of finch dwelling all over Yuriba. They are common visitors to the village and often nest in backyard trees, though most of the Pendulum Finch population resides in the forest. Slightly over four inches long, they are instantly recognizable for their brilliant white plumage, black throat and rump patches, and red bills and legs. The bills are rather stubby.

Pendulum Finches take their name from a rather curious habit. When perched on a branch they will often dangle upside down, using their sharp toe claws to move across the bottoms of tree limbs in search of grubs or other edibles hiding there. This acrobatic bird is a common sight at village bird feeders, where their upside-down feeding often delights birders. The finches often congregate in small flocks, and the sight of several Pendulum Finches hanging upside down is not an uncommon one.

Nests are typically simple affairs of mud and broken twigs nestled into the crooks of moderately-sized branches, often in residential trees. Pendulum Finches lay up to three eggs, pale brown with darker brown speckles, and nurse their young for a full year. Juvenile Pendulum Finches have pale brown plumage with darker brown throat and rump markings, but as they age they melt into the characteristic white and black.