Moustached Brush Finch

White Beard Brush-Finch ( Atlapetes albofrenatus albofrenatus )

The White Beard Brush-Finch ( Atlapetes albofrenatus ) is a species of bird in the bunting family ( Emberizidae ). The species has a large distribution area, which includes the South American countries Colombia and Venezuela. The stock is assessed by the IUCN as endangered not (Least Concern ).

Features

The Whiskered Buschammer reaches a body length of about 17.3 centimeters. The top lights olivaceous. The crown and nape are reddish cinnamon. The forehead and the sides of the head are black. In the car she has (not all birds ) goes a significant part of the white line directly in the white throat. Below the white bar there is a nondescript black line. The rest of the underside is yellow. The under tail-coverts, the sides and flanks are olive color graded.

Distribution and habitat

The species is relatively common in bushy edges of humid subtropical forests and mossy cloud forest at altitudes of 1500-2500 meters. Often you can see it also in clearings with scrub and secondary forest.

Behavior

This bush buntings live mainly in trees. They are relatively obvious and easy to discover. You move and jump sent, both alone and in family groups, on moss- grown tree trunks and low branches. Most of them are in search of arthropods, fruits and berries. They move in the Strata of one ( herb layer ) to ten meters ( tree layer ) above the ground. It happens rarely that you see them together, along with throngs of other species.

Subspecies

There are described two subspecies, which differ mainly in their color, size and their area of ​​distribution:

• Atlapetes albofrenatus albofrenatus ( Boissonneau, 1840) nominate to the northeast of the state of Táchira on Boca del Monte, near La Azulita in Venezuela and northeastern Colombia.
• Atlapetes albofrenatus meridae ( Sclater & Salvin, 1871) was first described under the name meridæ Buarremon. Come as you can see from the name before in the state of Mérida. If, in contrast to nominate a yellow throat. The length of the wings and the tail is shorter than in A. a albofrenatus.

Research History and etymology

Auguste Boissonneau described this Buschammer initially Tanagra ( Arremon ) albo- frenatus. (franz ). The word Atlapetes for the genus is composed of atla for the Titan Atlas, whose name means support sufferers and petes together from Greek petros for the rock. Atlas was in ancient mythology the heavens on his shoulders. The specific epithet comes from the Latin and is composed of the words albus for white and frenatus for bridled together. With the winged bird that the typical lateral head stripes are meant.