The Caracas brushfinch (Arremon phaeopleurus) is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows. It is endemic to Venezuela.
Taxonomy and systematics
The Caracas brushfinch has a complicated taxonomic history. It was formally described in 1856 with the binomial Buarremon phaeopleurus. The genus Buarremon was later merged into genus Atlapetes. Further study resulted in Buarremons being resurrected.Cadena, C. D., J. Klicka and R. E. Ricklefs. (2007). "Evolutionary differentiation in the Neotropical montane region: molecular phylogenetics and phylogeography of Buarremon brush-finches (Aves, Emberizidae)." Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 44(3): 993-1016. Buarremon phaeopleurus was later reassigned as one of many subspecies of what was then the "stripe-headed brushfinch" (Buarremon torquatus). In 2008 taxonomists began merging Buarremon into Arremon.Richard C. Banks, R. Terry Chesser, Carla Cicero, Jon L. Dunn, Andrew W. Kratter, Irby J. Lovette, Pamela C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., James D. Rising, Douglas F. Stotz, and Kevin Winker. "Forty-ninth supplement to the American Ornithological Society s Check-list of North American Birds". The Auk 2008, vol. 125:758-768 retrieved January 27, 2023 Following a study published in 2010 and some earlier studies, taxonomists began splitting the "stripe-headed brushfinch" into eight species, one of which was the Caracas brushfinch.Cadena, C. D., and A. M. Cuervo (2010). "Molecules, ecology, morphology, and songs in concert: how many species is Arremon torquatus (Aves: Emberizidae)?" Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 99(1): 152-176 The proposal passed in June 2011.
The Caracas brushfinch is monotypic.
Description
The Caracas brushfinch is about long. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a black crown with a gray stripe in the middle and a grayish white supercilium that extends to the nape and continues down behind the ear coverts to the sides of the breast. The rest of their face is black. Their upperparts, wings, and tail are olive-green. Their throat is white with a black band below it. The center of their breast and belly is white and their flanks and vent are olive-buff. They have a chestnut-brown iris, a black bill, and pinkish to blackish legs and feet.Jaramillo, A., C. J. Sharpe, and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Caracas Brushfinch (Arremon phaeopleurus), 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.sthbrf6.01 retrieved May 6, 2026
Distribution and habitat
The Caracas brushfinch is found in the Venezuelan Coastal Range from northern Guárico to Aragua. It inhabits humid montane forest where it favors the undergrowth in the interior and especially the edges. In elevation it ranges between .
Behavior Movement
The Caracas brushfinch is a year-round resident.
Feeding
The Caracas brushfinch's diet has not been studied. It forages singly and in pairs. It forages on the ground, usually under vegetative cover, pushing aside leaf litter with its bill.
Breeding
The Caracas brushfinch breeds between May and July. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.
Vocalization
The Caracas brushfinch's song is "very high-pitched, almost hummingbird-like [and] typically consists of a three to five-note phrase repeated continuously".
Status
The IUCN has assessed the Caracas brushfinch as being of Least Concern. It has a limited range; its population size is not known but is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. It is found in "several well-conserved protected areas".
References