White-naped Brushfinch

Photo by Pitter
Location: Dapa, Valle de Cauca, Colombia

Atlapetes albinucha

Includes Yellow-throated Brush-Finch

Identification

Two different groups:

White-naped Brush-Finch

Upperside dark gray to black, head with white stripe on central crown down to start of nape. Underside yellow, becoming more dusky towards the rear.

Yellow-throated Brush-Finch

Photo by Robert Scanlon
Location: Near Cali, Colombia, March 2006
Yellow-throated form

Differ from the White-naped type in having yellow limited to the throat; the rest of the underside varies from pale gray washed brownish on flanks to white washed with olive.

Distribution & Taxonomy

Two groups which differ remarkably and are sometimes treated as two species:

White-naped Brush-Finch

Limited to eastern Mexico (and possibly adjacent Guatemala). There is no overlap in range with Yellow-throated Brush-Finch.

• A.a. albinucha

Yellow-throated Brush-Finch

This form is found from southern Mexico to Panama and Colombia.

• A.a. gutturalis (if considered a full species, this is the nominate subspecies of the species Atlapetes gutturalis)
• A.a. griseipectus
• A.a. fuscipygius
• A.a. parvirostris
• A.a. brunnescens
• A.a. coloratus
• A.a. azuerensis

Habitat

Forest edge, clearings, and high-altitude shrubland, sometimes in areas best described as cloud forest. In Mexico often in areas with mixture of pine and other trees.

Behaviour

Likes to keep hidden except when singing, and probably not easy to see even then. Mostly seeks food on the ground or low above the ground.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Ridgely & Gwynne 1989. Birds of Panama. Princeton Paperbacks. ISBN 0691025126
3. Howell & Webb, 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198540124

External Links

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