The grey-eared brushfinch or black-faced brushfinchClements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2025. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2025. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved November 3, 2025 (Atlapetes melanolaemus) is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows. It is found in Bolivia and Peru.
Taxonomy and systematics
The grey-eared brushfinch was formally described in 1879 with the binomial Buarremon melanolaemus. Genus Buarremon was merged into Atlapetes early in the twentieth century. Various twentieth century authors treated the grey-eared brushfinch as conspecific with what was then the rufous-naped brushfinch (A. rufinucha sensu lato), a species that was split into many species in the early twenty-first century.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, D. F. Lane, L, N. Naka, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 27 February 2026. A classification of the bird species of South America. South American Classification Committee associated with the International Ornithologists' Union. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved 28 February 2026
The grey-eared brushfinch is monotypic.
Description
The grey-eared brushfinch is about long and weighs about . The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a bright rufous forehead, crown, and nape. Their face, chin, and throat are blackish. Their upperparts are blackish with a slight olive wash on the rump. Their tail is blackish with olive feather edges. Their wings are wholly blackish. Their underparts are dull yellow with dusky scaling on the breast and a dusky olive wash on the flanks. They have a dark reddish iris, a black bill, and blackish legs and feet.Jaramillo, A. (2020). Black-faced Brushfinch (Atlapetes melanolaemus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bkfbrf1.01 retrieved 28 May 2026
Distribution and habitat
The grey-eared brushfinch is found in the Andes of Peru from eastern Cuzco Department south through Puno Department and into western Bolivia's La Paz Department. It inhabits humid montane forest and slopes with shrubs at elevations from .
Behavior Movement
The grey-eared brushfinch is a year-round resident.
Feeding
The grey-eared brushfinch's diet has not been studied. It forages on the ground or slightly above it in vegetation.
Breeding
The grey-eared brushfinch nests between late July and early December with activity peaking in October. Its nest is an open cup made from coarse grass and bamboo leaves lined with fine grass. It is typically well hidden in vegetation such as grasses, ferns, and bushes on the ground or up to about above it. The clutch is two eggs that are creamy pink with reddish or brown spots. The incubation period is 14 to 15 days and fledging occurs 13 to 14 days after hatch. Details of parental care are not known.
Vocalization
The grey-eared brushfinch's song is "a pleasing, simple series of whistled phrases, somewhat variable, for example: twee-twee and chew-seelip". Excited pairs duet "a series of shrill, wiry whistles and chatters, often ending in a rattling trill". The species' call is "a high ti".
Status
The IUCN has assessed the grey-eared brushfinch as being of Least Concern. It has a limited range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered locally common to fairly common overall and fairly common in Peru.
References