Merida Brushfinch

Atlapetes meridae

Merida Brushfinch, Atlapetes meridae, is a bird of Colombia’s Eastern Andes, where it lives in upper montane country from just south of Bogotá to Santander. It is a resident of thick cloud forest, elfin forest and oak forest, and also uses dry, thorny scrub and dense growth in regenerating secondary forest. The bird is local rather than evenly spread through its range. It is one of the brushfinches with a large head and long tail, and the Venezuelan form has been treated as a separate species.