Superciliaried Hemispingus
Thlypopsis superciliaris
A small warbler-like tanager with significant variation across its range. Most birds are olive above and yellow below with a gray crown and obvious white eyebrow. Birds in northern and central Peru are gray above and whitish below, still with an obvious white eyebrow. Birds in western Venezuela have a yellow eyebrow. Compare with Drab Hemispingus, which is duller olive with a less obvious eyebrow, and with Citrine Warbler (especially in Venezuela, where the hemispingus also has a yellow eyebrow). Note Citrine Warbler’s wider eyebrow and paler legs. The hemispingus is usually found in pairs or small groups that forage actively in the canopy of forest or edge, often following mixed-species flocks. Occurs from around 2,200m up to treeline.
Identification
The superciliaried hemispingus (Thlypopsis superciliaris) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and degraded former forest.
Taxonomy
The superciliaried hemispingus was formally described as Arremon superciliaris by the French ornithologist Frédéric de Lafresnaye in 1840. Lafresnaye described the species based on a specimen from "Santa Fe de Bogota", which is current-day Bogotá , Colombia. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word meaning "eyebrowed". The superciliaried hemispingus has seven recognised subspecies in four subspecies groups. The irregular and non-clinal variation in morphological features such as the color of the underparts and supercilium suggests that several of these subspecies may be better treated as separate species. [ 3 ]
- Scientific name
- Thlypopsis superciliaris
- Authority
- (Lafresnaye, 1840)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Thlypopsis
Range and habitat
The superciliaried hemispingus is native to most of the Andes from Venezuela south through Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to Bolivia, being absent only from the western versant of the Colombian Andes. It is a denizen of moist forests, woodland edges, and secondary forests, typically at elevations of 1,900–3,350 m (6,230–10,990 ft) . In Peru and Ecuador, it is known from elevations as high as 3,450 m (11,320 ft) and 3,700 m (12,100 ft) , respectively. [ 3 ]
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Common Loon
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A large, heavy-billed loon. Common and widespread in North America; somewhat less common and more local in Europe. Breeding adults have gorgeous black-and-white patterning; especially note fully black head with iridescent sheen and boldly checkered back. Nonbreeding plumage is plainer gray above and white below; note the jagged border between gray and white on the neck. Heavy bill is usually held straight (compare with Yellow-billed Loon). Breeds on lakes and ponds in the boreal forest. Listen for their haunting, yodeling vocalizations. In winter, mostly found on nearshore ocean waters and sheltered bays, singly or in loose flocks.
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