Caracas Brushfinch
Arremon phaeopleurus
Boldly patterned sparrow with black head and white eyebrow. Back and tail olive-yellow, underparts white; black band across chest. Found alone or in pairs or family groups on ground or at mid-level in dense understory, second growth vegetation at forest edges, and coffee plantations. Can often be detected by listening for the movement of leaves as it forages. Song and calls are repetitive and very high-pitched. No similar species in range. Endemic to the Coastal Cordillera of Venezuela.
Taxonomy
The Caracas brushfinch was often treated as a subspecies of the stripe-headed brushfinch (A. torquatus), but was determined a distinct species on the basis of differences in vocalization, plumage, and genetics. SACC split the group in 2010.
- Scientific name
- Arremon phaeopleurus
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL, 1856)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Passerellidae
- Genus
- Arremon
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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A very small, well-marked warbler. Note the gray upperparts, the rufous forehead, and the white underparts with a black chest band. Found very locally in low- and middle-elevation rainforest, often along the forest edge. Very similar to Rufous-crowned Eremomela, but usually distinguished by range, and also slightly smaller, with less rufous on the crown. Usually in small groups, which frequently join mixed flocks. Inconspicuous vocalizations are high-pitched “sit” notes, sometimes given singly, and sometimes in a quick series.
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A finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreeper endemic to the island of Nihoa; does not occur on the main Hawaiian Islands. Unlikely to be confused with any other species; the only other passerine bird on Nihoa is the Millerbird, which lacks the Nihoa Finch’s heavy bill. Males have a bright yellow head and breast. Females are paler yellow and heavily streaked on the back. Common throughout the island.
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