Pale-naped Brushfinch

Overview

The Atlapetes pallidinucha is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

Identification

• Adults of the nominate subspecies have a wide pale cinnamon stripe from the forehead to the middle of the crown, a white rear crown and nape, and a black face.
• Upperparts are dark slate gray, while the wings and tail are blackish.
• The throat, breast, and belly are bright yellow, with sides, flanks, and undertail coverts washed with olivaceous to gray.
• Adults have a dark chestnut iris, a short, thick, black bill, and pinkish-dusky legs and feet.

Habitat

The pale-naped brushfinch inhabits the understory and edges of humid forest near the tree line, including secondary and elfin forest, and also occurs in the forest interior where it favors bamboo thickets. It ranges in elevation between 2,400 and 3,700 m across its distribution in South America.

Diet

The bird feeds on insects, berries, and seeds, foraging on the ground or a little above it, usually in dense vegetation. It forages in pairs or family groups and often joins mixed-species feeding flocks.

Did you know?

The dawn song, usually given in duet, consists of specific notes such as "a thin, high tsie...tsie weu, tsi...tsie weu tsie weu, ti...ti wee tsits we weee or tsie...tsie tsieu".