Green-striped Brushfinch, Arremon virenticeps

Green-striped Brushfinch, Arremon virenticeps verecundus. Photograph taken within the Reserva Chara Pinta, El Palmito, Sinaloa, April 2019. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Background and Identification

The Green-striped Brushfinch, Arremon virenticeps verecundus, is one of two subspecies of Green-striped Bushfinch, both of which are found in Mexico. They are a member of the Passerellidae Family of New World Sparrows, which has one hundred thirty-two members placed in thirty genera, and one of twenty global species of the Arremon Genus. They are known in Mexico as Atlapetes Rayas Verdes.

The Green-striped Brushfinch is large in stature and has a long tail. The sexes have a similar appearance. Their crown is black with a broad yellowish olive-green median stripe, that is narrower and whitish on the forecrown. The sides of head are black, with a broad olive yellow supercilium and a white supraloral spot with a white throat and white upper breast. Their upperparts are plain olive green with wings having yellow edges. Their underparts are grayish, becoming olive green on the flanks. They have a black bill, a light brown to dark brown iris and brown, dark brown, gray or pinkish gray legs and feet.

Habitat and Geographical Range

The Green-striped Brushfinch is endemic to Mexico and found in humid and semi humid forests, pine-evergreen forests and fir forests within the highland regions of western and central Mexico within the Pacific Slope and volcanic belt from southern Sinaloa south to Colima and east to Puebla, at elevations between 1,800 m (5,900 feet) and 3,500 m (11,500 feet). They are non-migratory. They are found in pairs that are ground foragers that consume a variety of insects and plant materials. The Green-striped Brushfinch has been poorly studied and very limited information about their behavioral patterns and biology has been documented.

The Green-striped Brushfinch is a year-round resident of Mexico being found in western Mexico from Sinaloa and Durango south to Colima and east to western Puebla. The verecundus subspecies is found within the mountains of western Mexico in southern Sinaloa, northern Nayarit, and southern Durango.

Common Misidentifications

The Green-striped Brushfinch is a straightforward identification within its restricted range.

Conservation Status

From a conservation perspective the Green-striped Brushfinch, is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Their long-term survival is threatened by human development and habitat destruction.