From Opus

Bird of the superciliaris-group
Photo by Michael W
Termes de Papallacta Hot Springs on the eastern slope of the Andes, Ecuador, March 2007

Hemispingus superciliaris

[edit] Identification

13-14cm. A rather variable species.

• Dusky olive head with long and narrow white supercilium
• Olive-green upperparts including tail
• Bright yellow throat and underparts, flanks tinged olive
• chrysophrys with a yellow (not white) supercilium
• birds of the white-bellied group have grey upperparts and tail and whitish underparts

Sexes similar. Immatures are duller and have less contrasting head pattern.

[edit] Distribution

South America: found in the Andes of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
Fairly common to locally common in its range.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

The subspecies can be divided in three groups:

• Yellow-browed Hemispingus / Tachira Hemispingus

• H. s. chrysophrys: Andes of south-western Venezuela (Trujillo, Mérida and Táchira)

• Superciliaris Group - White-browed Hemispingus

• H. s. superciliaris: Eastern Andes of central Colombia (Cundinamarca)
• H. s. nigrifrons: Central Andes of Colombia and Ecuador
• H. s. maculifrons: Andes of extreme south-western Ecuador and north-western Peru

• White-bellied Hemispingus

• H. s. insignis: Highlands of northern Peru (Utcubamba Valley east of Río Marañón)
• H. s. leucogastrus: Temperate Andes of central Peru (Junín)
• H. s. urubambae: Temperate Andes of southern Peru (Cuzco) to western Bolivia (La Paz)

[edit] Habitat

Humid forest and forest edges, also in second growth, tall Polylepsis woodland and landslides.
Recorded at 1900 to 3350m.

[edit] Behaviour

Feeds on arthropods, may also take some berries and fruit.
Often seen in mixed-species flocks in pairs or small groups. An active and restless species.
Breeding indicated in February and July in Colombia. No other information.
A resident species.

[edit] References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2012. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2012. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2011. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 16: Tanagers to New World Blackbirds. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553781
3. Avibase
4. BF Member observations

• List of references

[edit] External Links