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PASSERELLIDAE

The Passerellidae family includes New World brush-finches, juncos, New World sparrows, and towhees. These species were formerly included in the Emberizidae faimiy which now only contains the Old World buntings, They are small seed-eaters with a finch-like bill. In addition to seeds they also eat insects, especially when feeding their young. They build cup-shaped nests.


New World Brush-Finch

Order Passeriformes   Family Passerellidae


Genus Atlapetes
Brush-finches (Atlapetes) are medium sized, long tailed sparrows; the plumage of most species is predominately gray or olive, and many species of brush-finch also have a contrasting color on the crown. Many have white malar stripes and dark throat stripes.

Finch, Apurimac Brush-  Atlapetes forbesi  Found: Peru
The Apurimac Brush-Finch has medium gray upperparts; paler gray underparts; russet crown; black lores with white supraloral patch; black loral throat stripes. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the Rufous_eared_Brush-Frinch
Image by: 1, 2) Fabrice Schmitt


Finch, Bay-crowned Brush-  Atlapetes seebohmi  Found: Ecuador, Peru
The Bay-crowned Brush-Finch has olive-gray upperparts; black face; chestnut crown; white throat, malar stripe; dark throat stripes.
Image by: 1) Roger Ahlman - Ecuador


Finch, Black-faced Brush-  also  Gray-eared Brush-Finch  Atlapetes melanolaemus  Found: Bolivia, Peru
The Black-face Brush-Finch has dark olive upperparts; black face, throat; russet crown stripe; dusky-yellow underparts.
Image by: 1) Carol Foil  2) Francesco Veronesi


Finch, Black-spectacled Brush-  Atlapetes melanopsis  Found: Peru
The Black-spectacled Brush-Finch has dark gray upperparts; lighter gray underparts; russet crown; black eye patch, supraloral patch, forehead; white malar stripe, throat.
Image by: 1) Carlos Calle 


Finch, Bolivian Brush- also Rufous-naped Brush-Finch  Atlapetes rufinucha  Found: Bolivia, Peru
The Bolivian Brush-Finch has dark green upperparts; blackish wings, tail, face; rufous crown stripe, nape.
Image by: 1) Orbigny  2, 3) Carol Foil


Finch,_Cuzco_Brush-  Atlapetes canigenis  Found: southeastern Peru
The Cuzco Brush-Finch has mainly gray plumage; rusty crown stripe.
Image by: 1) Dominic Sherony  2) Nick Athanas


Finch, Dusky-headed Brush-  Atlapetes fuscoolivaceus  Found: Columbia
The Dusky-headed Brush-Finch has dark olive upperparts; dark olive to nearly blackish head; yellow underparts.
Image by: 1) Ron Knight  2) Oswaldo_Cortes


Finch,_Fulvous-headed_Brush-  Atlapetes fulviceps  Found: Argentina, Bolivia
The Fulvous-headed Brush-Finch has olive upperparts; yellow underparts; rufous head; yellow supraloral spot.
Image by: 1) Orbigny  2) Freddy Burgos - Argentina  3) Nick Athanas - Argentina


Finch,_Moustached_Brush-  Atlapetes albofrenatus Found: northern Columbia, southern Venezuela
The Moustached Brush-Finch has olive-green upperparts; rufous crown; white "moustache"; yellow underparts
Image by: 1) Dave_Curtis


Finch,_Ochre-breasted_Brush- Atlapetes semirufus  Found: Columbia, Venezuela
The Ochre-breasted Brush-Finch ha greenish upperparts; ochre colored head, breast.
Image by: 1) Fernando_Flores - Venezuela  2) Tony_Morris - Venezuela


Finch, Pale-headed Brush-  Atlapetes pallidiceps  Found: Ecuador
The Pale-headed Brush-Finch has brownish-gray upperparts; white spot at base of primaries; light gray underparts; pale head.
Image by: 1) Pia Oberg  2, 3) Aves_y_Conservacion


Finch, Pale-naped Brush-  Atlapetes pallidinucha  Found: Columiba, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
The Pale-naped Brush-Finch has gray upperparts, side of head; yellow forehead, throat; white nape; gray-yellow breast transitions to gray lower belly.  It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Image by: 1, 2, 3) Dick Daniels - Guango Lodge, Ecuador - Guango Lodge  4) Nick Athanas - Columbia


Finch, Rufous-capped Brush-  Atlapetes pileatus Found: Mexico
The Rufous-capped Brush-Finch has rufous-gray to rufous-brown upperparts; yellowish underparts tinged with olive on breast and darker on flanks; rufous crown; gray face.
Image by: 1) Jerry Oldenettel  2) Amy McAndrews  3) Doug_Greenberg


Finch, Rufous-eared Brush-  Atlapetes rufigenis Found: Andes of west-central Peru
The Rufous-eared Brush-Finch has mainly gray upperparts; rusty head; bold white submoustachial streak; whitish throat; gray flanks.
Image by: 1) Sevillano_Steven  2) John Gerrard Keulemans 3) Peter Boesman


Finch,_Rusty-bellied_Brush-  Atlapetes nationi  Found: Peru
The Rusty-bellied Brush-Finch has gray upperparts, breast, flanks; rusty-buffy belly; blackish head.
Image by: 1) Carlos Calle  2) Nick Athanas


Finch, Santa Marta Brush- Atlapetes melanocephalus  Found: Santa Marta mountains of Columbia
The Santa Marta Brush-Finch has dark olive upperparts; yellow underparts; black head with white cheeks; reddish eyes.
Image by: 1) Alejandro Tamayo  2) Dave Curtis  3) Nick Athanas


Finch,_Slaty_Brush-  Atlapetes schistaceus  Found: Columbia, Ecuador, Venezuela
The Slaty Brush-Finch has mainly gray plumage; lighter underparts; russet to cinnamon crown stripe; blackish face, throat stripe;; usually white malar stripe.
Image by: 1) Ken-ichi Ueda - Columbia  2, 3) Nick Athanas - Columbia, Peru


Finch,_Tepiu_Brush- Atlapetes personatus  Found: mainly Venezuela; also Brazil, Guyana,
The Tepiu Brush-Finch is found in the Tepiu region ofVenezuela and neighboring countries.
Image by: 1) Brendan_Ryan - Venezuela  2) Pinned


Finch,_Tricolored_Brush-  Atlapetes tricolor  Found: Columbia, Ecuador, Peru
The Tricolored Brush-Finch has olive upperparts; yellow underparts; black face.
Image by: 1) Francesco_Veronesi - Columbiai  2) Alejandro Tamayo  3, 4) Nick Athanas - Ecuador, Peru


Finch, White-headed Brush-  Atlapetes albiceps  Found: southern Ecuador, northern Peru
The White-headed Brush-Finch has gray upperparts; white spot at base of primaries; white face; blackish crown, nape; whitish underparts; gray flanks.
Image by: 1) David Cook - Peru  2) Altabpe00 - Peru  Francesco_Veronesi - Ecuador


Finch,_White-naped_Brush-  Atlapetes albinucha  Found: Central America, Columbia
The White-naped Brush-Finch has grayish-black upperparts; mostly black head with white stripe along middle of head to nape; yellow throat; whitish underparts.
Image by: 1) Dick Daniels - Boquette, Panama  2) Amy McAndrews - Mexico  3, 4) Francesco_Veronesi


Finch,_White-rimmed_Brush-  Atlapetes leucopis  Found; Columbia, Ecuador
The White-rimmed Brush-Finch has black upperparts, face; rufous crown; white eye-ring with with streak behind eye; olive underparts with a hint of yellow;
Image by: 1) Brayan_Coral_Jaramillo - Columbia  2) Daniel_Orozco - Columbia


Finch,_White-winged_Brush-  Atlapetes leucopterus  Found: Ecuador, Peru
The White-winged Brush-Finch has gray upperparts; lighter gray underparts; white throat; russet crown stripe; white patch at base of primaries.
Image by: 1) Nigel Voaden - Ecuador  2, 3) Nick Athanas - Peru, Ecuador


Finch,_Yellow-breasted_Brush-  Atlapetes latinuchus  Found: mainly Columbia, Ecuador, Peru; also far western Venezuela
The Yellow-beasted Brush-Finch has black mask; rusty crown stripe; yellow underparts. Some have greener backs, other grayish to nearly black back. Some have white wing patch, others do not.
Image by: 1) Francesco_Veronesi - Ecuador  2, 3, 4) Nick Athanas - Ecuador


Finch,_Yellow-headed_Brush- Atlapetes flaviceps  Found: Columbia
The Yellow-headed Brush-Finch has dark olive upperparts, wings ,tail; bright yellow most of head; there may be olive on head;
Image by: 1) Alejandro Tamayo  2) Ron Knight 3) Nick Athanas  4) ProAves_Colombia


Finch,_Yellow-striped_Brush-  Atlapetes citrinellus  Found: Argentina, Paraguay
The Yellow-striped Brush-FInch has olive upperparts; dirty yellow underparts; dark olive crown, cheeks; blackish lateral throat stripes.
Image by: 1) Allan Drewitt  2) Nick Athanas - Argentina  3) Ron Knight 



Genus Pezopetes - 1 species

Finch, Large-footed  Pezopetes capitalis Found: Costa Rica, Panama
The Large-footed Finch has dark olive upperparts; slate-gray face; black crown, throat; black tail with orange fringes; olive underparts with brown tint to flanks and lower belly. It is not really finches, despite their name. It is instead members of the Emberizidae family.
Image by: 1) Barbara_Dye - Costa Rica  2) Mike Baird - Costa Rica  3) Jerry Oldenettel - Costa Rica  4) Nick Athanas - Costa Rica



Genus Pselliophorus
These birds are not really finches, despite their name. They are instead members of the Passerellidae family. Both species have yellow thighs.

Finch, Yellow-green  Pselliophorus luteoviridis  Found: Panama
Image by: 1) Daniel Hinckley - Panama


Finch,_Yellow-thighed    Pselliophorus tibialis    Found: Costa Rica, Panama
The Yellow-thighed Finch has mainly dark gray plumage; black crown, wings, throat, tail; bright yellow thighs.
Image by: 1) Charlie Westerinen - near Poas Volcanon, Costa Rica  2) Tim - Costa Rica  3) Nick Athanas - Costa Rica 4) Patty_McGann






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