- Microspingus alticola
Poospiza alticola
Identification
16 cm (6¼ in). Long tail
Male
- Greyish-brown upperparts
- Darker crown
- Blackish face
- Long white supercilium
- White moustache
- White throat and underparts
- Cinnamon breast sides
- Pale wing coverts and flight feathers
Juveniles are darker and less rufous.
Similar species
Chestnut-breasted Mountain Finch P. caesar has rufous breast.
Distribution
South America: found in the Andes of western Peru (southern Cajamarca to La Libertad and eastern Ancash).
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
This species was in the past placed in genus Poospiza.
Habitat
Montane scrubby areas and wooded ravines. Observed in Polylepis forest at around 3,660 m.
Behaviour
Diet
They feed on the sugary secretions and insects from the undersides of Gynoxys leaves and from Polylepis and Alnus.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Oct 2017)
- IUCN Red List
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Plain-tailed Warbling Finch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Plain-tailed_Warbling_Finch
