Bird Guide

Moustached Brushfinch vs White-winged Brushfinch

Moustached Brushfinch (Atlapetes albofrenatus)

Moustached Brushfinch

Atlapetes albofrenatus

Small30 gForest

Like most Atlapetes species, the moustached brushfinch is a large-headed, long-tailed New World sparrow. Adult. Adults are between 17.5 and 18cm in length, and weigh approximately 30g. Their upper parts are mostly olive green, with the primaries and tail being black tinged with olive. The breast, belly and vent are deep yellow, while the flanks are yellow with a greenish wash. The species has a striking head pattern, with a bright chestnut-rufous cap and nape, black forehead, and an all black mask extending from the lores to the nape.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Juan D Ramirez Rpo · CC BY 2.0
White-winged Brushfinch (Atlapetes leucopterus)

White-winged Brushfinch

Atlapetes leucopterus

Small21 gShrubland

The white-winged brushfinch is about 15.5 cm (6.1 in) long and weighs about 19 to 26 g (0.67 to 0.92 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies A. l. leucopterus have a russet stripe from the forecrown to the nape; it is darkest on the forecrown. Their face is mostly blackish with a buff-white spot above the lores and a wide white lower cheek with a thin black line below it. Their upperparts and tail are dark gray. Their wings are dark gray with white bases on the primaries and white on the marginal coverts. Voice: The white-winged brushfinch's vocalizations vary among the subspecies. The song of A. l. dresseri is "a high, 2-part series of thin notes" and its call is "a high, descending tseeu". The song of A. l. paynteri is "a pleasant musical chew-chew tee-tee" and its call "a high ti". The species sings from a high perch and most often at dawn.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the White-winged Brushfinch
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Zamora-Chinchipe: 1 km N Valladolid, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: andrew2285 · CC0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Moustached Brushfinch and White-winged Brushfinch.