Bird Guide

Santa Marta Brushfinch vs White-winged Brushfinch

Santa Marta Brushfinch (Atlapetes melanocephalus)

Santa Marta Brushfinch

Atlapetes melanocephalus

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The Santa Marta brushfinch is about 17 cm (6.7 in) long and weighs about 28 g (0.99 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a mostly black head with a silvery gray patch on the ear coverts. Their upperparts are olive gray and their wings and tail are blackish with thin olive feather edges. Their throat and underparts are mostly lemon yellow with an olive wash on the flanks. They have a chestnut iris, a pale gray or black bill, and dusky pink legs and feet. Juveniles are duller and paler than adults. Voice: The Santa Marta brushfinch sings two or three loud sweet notes. In duet pairs sing "a lot of buzzy notes, bzt-bzt-bzt, bzbzbzbzbzzbz, speeding up and becoming louder towards end". Its calls are sharp tsip or chip notes.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Álvaro de la Paz Franco · CC0
White-winged Brushfinch (Atlapetes leucopterus)

White-winged Brushfinch

Atlapetes leucopterus

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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: Santa Marta Brushfinch and White-winged Brushfinch.