Yellow-breasted Brushfinch

Overview

The yellow-breasted brushfinch (Atlapetes latinuchus) is a species of bird in the New World sparrow family, Passerellidae. It is a year-round resident found across the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, inhabiting a variety of semi-open, brushy landscapes.

Identification

• About 17 cm long, with bright yellow underparts that have a slight olivaceous wash on the sides.
• Dark slate-grey upperparts with a rufous to orange-rufous stripe on the head, a black face, and a wide yellow lower cheek.
• A black bill, brownish to dusky grey legs, and deep reddish-brown eyes.
• A dawn song consisting of a relatively short, sweet whistled phrase, repeated with variations.

Habitat

The yellow-breasted brushfinch inhabits semi-open environments such as forest edges, secondary growth, thickets along roads, and overgrown pastures, showing greater tolerance for disturbed areas than many other brushfinches. Its elevation range varies by country, generally occurring between 1,500 and 3,600 m.

Diet

Although not thoroughly studied, the diet appears to consist mostly of insects and seeds. The bird forages in the understory in pairs or small groups, typically gleaning food while perched or by taking short sallies and hops.

Did you know?

Its nests are constructed from a wide variety of relatively coarse plant material, but are lined with much finer plant fibres. Incubation is the sole responsibility of one adult, usually the female, lasting approximately 16 days.