Alternative names: Oleaginous Tanager; Ochraceous Hemispingus; Merida Hemispingus
- Sphenopsis frontalis
Hemispingus frontalis
Identification
14cm (5½ in). A dull hemispingus with a relatively slender bill.
- Long, narrow and weakly indicated yellowish supercilium, more pronounced in northern subspecies
- Dull dirty olive crown, upperparts and tail
- Dingy olive-yellow underparts, more olive on sides
- Dusky grey, relatively slender bill
Sexes similar. Juveniles lack supercilium.
Distribution
South America: found in the Andes of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru.
Fairly common in its range.
Taxonomy
The closest relative seems to be Black-eared Hemispingus. Both species used to be placed in the genus hemispingus.
Subspecies
Five subspecies are recognized[1]:
- S. f. frontalis:
- S. f. ignobilis (Ochraceous or Merida Hemispingus - suggested that it might merit elevation to species rank):
- Andes of western Venezuela (southern Lara, Trujillo, Mérida and Táchira)
- S. f. flavidorsalis:
- S. f. hanieli:
- Coastal mountains of northern Venezuela (Aragua to Miranda)
- S. f. iteratus:
- Coastal mountains of north-eastern Venezuela (Monagas to Sucre)
Habitat
Moist montanes.
Occurs at 1,400 to 2,900m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on arthropods.
Usually seen in pairs, family parties or small groups in understorey mixed-species flocks. A dead-leaf specialist, works trough undergrowth, flying a few metres and hopping up branches while flicking its tail.
Breeding
Birds in breeding condition from June to November in Venezuela, juvenile in April in Peru. Eggs white. No other information about breeding.
Movements
A resident species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- 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
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Oleaginous Hemispingus. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Oleaginous_Hemispingus
