- Atlapetes semirufus
Identification
18 cm. A slim Brush Finch with a pointed and finely tipped bill.
- Plain tawny-ornage head to nape and down to breast
- Olive upperparts, including wings and tail
- Yellowish underparts below breast, washed greenish on flanks
- Yellow on undertail-coverts
- benedettii has paler orange on breast, brighter greenish on flanks, juveniles are dark with a wide, bold malar stripe
- denisei ims more colour-saturated with deeper orange-tawny on head, darker olive on flanks and olive colour extending to undertail-coverts
- albigula is pale orange on head, white on centre of throat, pale yellowish below with tawny wash on throat and ear-coverts and yellowish undertail-coverts
- majusculus has a paler head and bill than nominate, a whitish wash on ear-coverts and throat and yellowish undertail-coverts
- zimmeri is similar to majusculus but has washed pale tawny on undertail-coverts and a darker bill
Sexes similar. Juveniles have brownish-olive upperparts and head, dull yellowish underparts with olive chest and narrow dark streaking from breast to undertail-coverts.
Distribution
Mountains of Colombia and Venezuela.
Fairly common in Venezuela, uncommon in Colombia.
Taxonomy
Six subspecies recognized:
- A. s. zimmeri on the eastern slope of the eastern Andes of northeast Colombia and western Venezuela
- A. s. majusculus on the eastern slope of the eastern Andes of Colombia
- A. s. semirufus on the eastern slope of the eastern Andes of Colombia
- A. s. denisei in the mountains of northern Venezuela
- A. s. benedettii in the mountains of northern Venezuela
- A. s.s albigula in the Andes of western Venezuela
May form a superspecies with Tepui Brush Finch and Fulvous-headed Brush Finch.
Habitat
In understorey and shrubbery of moist montanes, forest borders and also secondary growth.
Occurs at 2000-3500 m in Colombia, 1000-2500 m in Venezuela.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on arthropods and seeds. Takes also berries and small fruits.
Forages in dense understorey on or near the ground, also in small trees and shrubs. Usually seen in pairs or in small groups.
Breeding
Breeding season from March to July. The nest is a cup made of thick grasses, built by the female. It's placed 0.2 to 3m above the ground concealed in grass, in a vine or a bush, often at the edge of a clearing or a trail. Lays usually 2 eggs.
Movements
This is a sedentary species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Ochre-breasted Brushfinch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Ochre-breasted_Brushfinch
