This large finch lives in shrubby grasslands and marshes in southern South America. It has a long tail and a strong orange-yellow bill; back and vent colors vary among forms.
The head, breast, and neck are mostly gray, with a sooty mask and olive-green wings and tail. Depending on the form, the back and vent may be gray or green, and the vent gray or cinnamon.
It gives a high-pitched “pzzt–tcheewe” song. A specimen study records nominate platensis from central Bolivia through Paraguay, southern Brazil, eastern Argentina, and Uruguay.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.