Rufous-sided Warbling Finch

Poospizopsis hypochondria

Small tanager of semi-arid montane forest at upper elevations in the eastern Andes from NW Argentina to Lake Titicaca, and in the Sierra de Comechingones in C Argentina. Prefers scrubby vegetation, including open Polylepis forest, often in small flocks with other species. Underparts gray and whitish with rufous restricted to sides and flanks on males, and lower belly on females. Similar Bolivia Warbling-Finch shows rufous across chest.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Poospizopsis hypochondria
Authority
(d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Thraupidae
Genus
Poospizopsis

Range and habitat

Migration
Complete migrants

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Gray-headed Babbler

Gray-headed Babbler

Stachyris poliocephala

Plain and unremarkable babbler; warm rusty-brown with a dark gray face and a streaked crown. Pale eye stands out against the dark face and gives the bird a somewhat crazed appearance. Shy and difficult to see as it forages in dense tangles and undergrowth. Habitat varies within range; most common in lowlands on the mainland, and in foothill and lower montane forest on Borneo and Sumatra. Song variable but consistently high and whistled, often with an ascending quality. Calls include a long, uniform rolling chatter and harsh scolding.

Cape Sparrow

Cape Sparrow

Passer melanurus

A handsome, unstreaked, brightly colored sparrow with different-looking males and females. The male has a distinctive black head and throat with a striking white crescent extending from the eye around the ear. The female has a pale gray head with a diffuse pale crescent, similar in shape to the male’s. Pairs and small flocks are resident in a wide variety of natural and human-altered habitats. House and Great Rufous Sparrows have streaked backs and lack the distinctive facial pattern of the Cape Sparrow.

Green-backed Flycatcher

Green-backed Flycatcher

Ficedula elisae

A colorful, green-suffused flycatcher. Adult male looks like a faded version of a male Narcissus Flycatcher, with bright yellow eyebrows and underparts; greenish tinge to the upperparts is distinctive and unmistakable. Overall paler and less contrasting patterning, combined with prominent dark eyes, conveys a gentle appearance. Female very similar to female Narcissus, but has a faded-yellow belly and a green-tinged head and back; brighter female Narcissus Flycatchers can have a green tinge, too, but it is usually weaker and restricted to the upper half of the back. Breeds in hilly and submontane mixed broadleaf forests, and winters in open forests and forest edges. Song is a rambling series of somewhat scratchy-sounding warbling notes.

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