Black-headed Brush-finch
Encyclopedia
The Black-headed Brush Finch (Arremon atricapillus) is a species of bird
in the Emberizidae
family. It is found in the undergrowth of humid forest, especially near edges, at altitudes of 300 to 1200 m (984.3 to 3,937 ft) in Colombia
, Panama
and Costa Rica
.
Buarremon
.
The Black-headed Brush Finch is often treated as a subspecies
of the Stripe-headed Brush-finch
(A. torquatus), but the distributions of the two approach each other closely in Colombia with no evidence of intergradation
. When split, the taxon
costaricensis of Costa Rica and western Panama has been treated as a monotypic
species (the Grey-striped Brush-finch, A. costaricensis), a subspecies of the Stripe-headed Brush-finch, or a subspecies of the Black-headed Brush Finch, with most authorities preferring the last treatment. Based on ecology
, morphology
, song, and molecular work it has recently been suggested that A. costaricensis is worthy of treatment as a species. In that case, the Black-headed Brush Finch would only include the subspecies tacarcunae, and be restricted to Colombia and eastern Panama.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the Emberizidae
Emberizidae
The Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...
family. It is found in the undergrowth of humid forest, especially near edges, at altitudes of 300 to 1200 m (984.3 to 3,937 ft) in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
.
Taxonomy
Until recently, the Black-headed Brush Finch was placed in the genusGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Buarremon
Buarremon
Buarremon is a genus of perching birds in the family Emberizidae. Recent evidence indicates this genus should be merged into Arremon, but if recognized as a valid genus, it contains the following species:...
.
The Black-headed Brush Finch is often treated as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Stripe-headed Brush-finch
Stripe-headed Brush-finch
The Stripe-headed Brush Finch , also known as the Stripe-headed Brush-finch, is a species of bird in the Emberizidae family. It is found in north-western Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and northern and western Venezuela...
(A. torquatus), but the distributions of the two approach each other closely in Colombia with no evidence of intergradation
Intergradation
In zoology, intergradation is the way in which two distinct subspecies are connected via areas where populations are found that have the characteristics of both...
. When split, the taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
costaricensis of Costa Rica and western Panama has been treated as a monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
species (the Grey-striped Brush-finch, A. costaricensis), a subspecies of the Stripe-headed Brush-finch, or a subspecies of the Black-headed Brush Finch, with most authorities preferring the last treatment. Based on ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
, song, and molecular work it has recently been suggested that A. costaricensis is worthy of treatment as a species. In that case, the Black-headed Brush Finch would only include the subspecies tacarcunae, and be restricted to Colombia and eastern Panama.