Costa Rican Brushfinch

About the Costa Rican Brushfinch

The Costa Rican brushfinch (Arremon costaricensis) is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama. The Costa Rican brushfinch has a complicated taxonomic history. It was formally described in 1907 with the binomial Buarremon costaricensis. The genus Buarremon was later merged into genus Atlapetes but further study resulted in Buarremon's being resurrected. Buarremon costaricensis was later reassigned as one of many subspecies of what was then the "stripe-headed brushfinch" (Buarremon torquatus). In 2008 taxonomists began merging Buarremon into Arremon. Following a study published in 2010 and some earlier studies, taxonomists began splitting the "stripe-headed brushfinch" into eight species, one of which was the Costa Rican brushfinch.

The Costa Rican brushfinch is monotypic. The Costa Rican brushfinch is 17 to 20 cm (6.7 to 7.9 in) long and weighs 40 to 49.5 g (1.4 to 1.7 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a black crown with a gray stripe in the middle and a gray supercilium that extends to the nape and continues down behind the ear coverts. The rest of their... Wikipedia →