Choco Brushfinch
Atlapetes crassus
This chunky bird is dingy yellow below and dark brownish above with a tawny crown. Sexes similar. Could be confused with Yellow-breasted Brushfinch, which is found at higher elevations and has a brighter rufous crown. Pairs or small groups are found foraging in the lower levels of montane forest, edges and tangles, often clambering around a couple meters from the ground. Found from around 600–2,500 m.
Identification
Adults weigh from 29.5 to 40 g (1.04 to 1.41 oz) and are 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) in length. The adult's upper parts are olive to black and the underparts yellow with an olive wash on the flanks. The sides of the head are black with a yellow crown stripe and throat. Juveniles are dark brown above and lighter brown below with a rufous crown.
Taxonomy
The Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) and the Clements taxonomy consider the choco brushfinch a subspecies of tricolored brushfinch (Atlapetes tricolor) but note that other authors have proposed it as a full species. The International Ornithological Congress (IOC) has accepted it as a full species.
- Scientific name
- Atlapetes crassus
- Authority
- Bangs, 1908
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Passerellidae
- Genus
- Atlapetes
Range and habitat
The choco brushfinch is a year-round resident of Colombia's western Andes and western Ecuador. It inhabits open cloud forest and the undergrowth of openings in and edges of humid forest and secondary woodland. It is found primarily from 600 to 2,300 m (2,000 to 7,500 ft) though there are scattered records from lower and higher elevations.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Little is known about the choco brushfinch's diet. It is known to forage up to 10 m (33 ft) above ground, in contrast to many other brushfinches which forage mainly near the ground. It forages alone, in pairs, or as a member of a mixed-species flock.<p>Little is known about the species' nesting phenology as well. Observers have reported nest-building in Colombia in November, February, and May; eggs in April; and fledglings in June and July. A reported nest was a thick cup placed near the ground; it contained one white egg with dusky spots.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Balaeniceps rex
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Spike-heeled Lark
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Elegant dark bulbul with a bright red bill; very similar in appearance to Black Bulbul, but no range overlap. Dark charcoal-gray with a black crown. Fairly common in lowland and hill forests and forest edges, often gathering in large flocks, particularly outside of the breeding season. Song is a loud, high-pitched “chi-chik-chik!” Frequently gives a loud nasal meow, like a cat with a cold.
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