Yellow-headed Brushfinch

Overview

The yellow-headed brushfinch (Atlapetes flaviceps) is a Near Threatened species of bird in the American sparrow family, Passerellidae. It is endemic to Colombia and was formerly known by the obsolete name olive-headed brushfinch.

Identification

• Head coloration varies from yellow to dark olive, likely with adult males being bright yellow and females or immature birds being olive-headed.
• Throat, chin, malar streak, lores, eye-ring, and ear patch are bright yellow.
• Remaining plumage is yellow with dark olive upperparts, wings, and tail.

Habitat

Endemic to Colombia, primarily found in the upper Coello River basin in Tolima Department, specifically between 1,000 and 2,500 meters elevation in the inter-Andean valleys. It inhabits thick secondary vegetation, degraded forest, and areas bordering gallery forest and plantations of arracacha and granadilla.

Diet

This species is observed taking part in mixed-species feeding flocks alongside other birds such as the common bush-tanager, white-throated tyrannulet, and blue-capped tanager.

Did you know?

For decades, the bird was mistakenly called the 'olive-headed brushfinch' due to a misleading photograph published in a popular field guide in 1987, which led to the name becoming firmly established despite the original type specimen having a bright yellow head.