Moustached Brushfinch

Atlapetes albofrenatus (Boissonneau, 1840)

Moustached Brushfinch, Atlapetes albofrenatus, is a passerine of the New World sparrow family found in northern Colombia and north-west Venezuela. It lives in the Eastern Andes, where it occurs in scattered pockets rather than across a continuous range. The bird is tied to upper tropical and subtropical country, usually between 1400 and 2500 metres, though it has been recorded lower. It uses the edges, understorey and middle layers of cloud forest, elfin forest and oak forest, and also thick scrub and regenerating secondary growth. Its most notable feature is the bold head pattern, with a chestnut-rufous crown and nape, black forehead and mask, and white throat and malar stripes.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Passerellidae — New World Sparrows

Breeding range

South America: n Colombia and nw Venezuela