Ashy-throated Chlorospingus

Overview

The ashy-throated chlorospingus, also known as the ashy-throated bush tanager, is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae. It comprises five subspecies with a highly disjunct distribution across Central and South America.

Identification

• Plumage: Adults of the nominate subspecies have a mostly gray head, a grayish white throat, and a wide light yellow band across the chest with olive tinges on the sides; other subspecies vary in head color and chest band width.
• Size: The bird is 13 to 14 cm long and weighs between 14.5 and 21 g.
• Features: All subspecies possess a reddish brown iris, a dusky upper bill (maxilla), usually a pale steel-gray lower bill (mandible), and dark gray legs and feet.
• Vocalisation: Songs vary by location, ranging from accelerating series of high chipping notes in Peru to sibilant ascending notes in Costa Rica, with calls often described as dry, metallic, or thin chipping notes.

Habitat

This species inhabits lowland and tropical evergreen or deciduous forests, favouring wet, moss-heavy environments and usually found in the forest canopy or at its edges. It ranges in elevation from 400 m in Costa Rica up to 2,000 m in Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela, with its distribution spanning Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Diet

The diet of the ashy-throated chlorospingus is not well known but includes fruits. It forages in pairs or small groups of up to ten individuals and regularly joins mixed-species feeding flocks.

Did you know?

Formerly classified as 'true tanagers' within the family Thraupidae, the genus Chlorospingus was transferred to the sparrow family Passerellidae in 2010 based on modern studies, leading to the name change from 'bush tanager' to 'chlorospingus'.