This shy bird is not actually a finch. Genetic studies have shown it is actually a Tanager (Thraupidae) in a group which includes the Galapagos Finches. It is the sole member in the genus Melopyrrha which means "black bullfinch." Two subspecies are recognized with nominate M. n. nigra on Cuba and M. n. taylori on Grand Cayman. The latter has a larger bill and duller plumage. Although listed as being of "least concern" by Birdlife International, the "Red Book of Cuban Vertebrates" classifies it as "near threatened" noting declines caused by illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade. Its current distribution in Cuba is spotty.
Reference:
Ayón Güemes, Xochitl, Edwin Ruiz Rojas, and Eduardo E. Iñigo-Elias. 2013. Cuban Bullfinch (Melopyrrha nigra), Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online.
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS