Gorrión-montés Aliblanco/White-winged Brushfinch/Atlapetes leucopterus

Nombre en español: Gorrión-montés Aliblanco

Nombre en inglés: White-winged Brushfinch

Nombre científico: Atlapetes leucopterus

Canto: Paul Coopmans

El atlapetes aliblanco (Atlapetes leucopterus), también denominado matorralero aliblanco y saltón de alas blancas, es una especie de ave paseriforme de la familia Passerellidae endémica del noroeste de Sudamérica.

Pájaro gris y blanco, con aspecto de pinzón, de los Andes. La cara es negra en la parte norte de su área de distribución, pero está marcada con manchas blancas en el suroeste de Ecuador y el norte de Perú. La corona es de color castaño, excepto por el muy localizado grupo «Paynter’s», que tiene la corona pálida y está restringido al extremo sureste de Ecuador y áreas adyacentes de Perú. Los parches blancos llamativos de las alas ayudan a separarlo de Bay-crowned Brushfinch. Habita en la vegetación densa, como matorrales de montaña y enredaderas a la orilla de las carreteras.

Distribución y hábitat

Se encuentra únicamente en los bosques tropicales del Ecuador y el noroeste de Perú.

White-winged brushfinch

The white-winged brushfinch (Atlapetes leucopterus) is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae.It is found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and heavily degraded former forest.

All three forms of the White-winged Brushfinch have a big white patch at the base of the primaries, which gives the species its name. In plumage it most closely resembles the Slaty Brushfinch (Atlapetes schistaceus), but is overall paler below. The White-winged Brushfinch has gray upperparts and pale off-gray underparts; the head pattern is variable although all have a white throat, white malar, and a dark lateral throat stripe. The northern leucopterus is blackish on the face sides and has a dark-russet crown stripe ; southern dresseri has a dark forehead and face sides and a pale tawny crown stripe that begins on the mid-crown; paynteri has a creamy crown stripe, beginning on the mid-crown. Furthermore, dresseri is incredibly variable with many having extensive white flecking on the face and forehead; on some the face becomes nearly completely white, recalling a White-headed Brushfinch (Atlapetes albiceps), except for the tawny crown stripe. Some have suggested that paynteri is best separated as a species. White-winged Brushfinch is a species of shrubby hillsides, in some places occupying very dry habitats, including brush interspersed with Bombax trees.