Tocuyo Sparrow

Overview

The Tocuyo sparrow (Arremonops tocuyensis) is a small passerine in the New World sparrow family Passerellidae, native to northeastern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela. It is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, though its population is believed to be decreasing and it remains locally fairly common in Colombia but uncommon in Venezuela.

Identification

• Size: 13–14 cm in length with a stout build and a leaden-blue mandible.
• Plumage: Plain olive upperparts; white underparts with smoke-gray tinge on the breast and buffy-cream flanks; dusky tail with dull olive-green feather edges.
• Head: Distinctive wide black stripes on each side of the crown that meet on the nape, separated by a whitish stripe; wide pale gray supercilium and blackish eye-line; brownish iris.
• Song: A somewhat variable, three-part song, e.g., a sweet 'tit-tit-ti' followed by 'tsuee' or 'sweeu' and 'tu-tu-tu'; a high-pitched 'tiip' call.
• Legs: Dark pinkish legs and feet.

Habitat

Occupies dry to moist low-stature landscapes, including thorn forest, shrublands, and brushy areas bordering dry and deciduous forest in Colombia and Venezuela. Elevation ranges from sea level to 300 m in Colombia and up to 1,100 m in Venezuela, with most records occurring at much lower elevations.

Diet

The diet of the Tocuyo sparrow has not been studied. It forages mostly singly and in pairs, on the ground and in low vegetation.

Did you know?

Its common name and scientific name derive from El Tocuyo, a city and valley in Venezuela's Lara state, where the type specimen was first collected. It is the only species in its genus, making it monotypic.