Grey-browed Brushfinch

Overview

The grey-browed brushfinch (Arremon assimilis) is a species of New World sparrow found in the Andes of South America. It is assessed as being of Least Concern by the IUCN, though its population is believed to be decreasing despite no identified immediate threats.

Identification

• Length of 19 to 20 cm with olive-green upperparts, wings, and tail.
• Black crown featuring a central grey stripe and a grey supercilium extending to the nape, contrasting with a black face and white throat.
• White breast and belly with grey sides and flanks; juveniles are generally olive with dusky cheeks.
• Song consists of a high, sibilant series of thin whistles with short spaces between phrases, accompanied by calls described as a high ti and a tseer.

Habitat

This species inhabits the interior and edges of humid montane forest and secondary forest along the Andes from Venezuela to Peru. Elevation ranges vary by region, generally between 900 and 3,600 m, though in far northwestern Peru it may be found as low as 400 m.

Diet

The specific diet of the grey-browed brushfinch has not been studied. It typically forages singly or in pairs on the ground, usually under cover, scratching in leaf litter with its bill.

Did you know?

The species has a complicated taxonomic history, having been formally described in 1840 and later reclassified multiple times, including being merged into Atlapetes, resurrected as Buarremon, and eventually split from the stripe-headed brushfinch following a 2010 study.