Orange-fronted Plushcrown

About the Orange-fronted Plushcrown

The orange-fronted plushcrown (Metopothrix aurantiaca) is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The orange-fronted plushcrown is the only member of its genus and has no subspecies. Its plumage is so unlike that of most members of family Furnariidae that many authors have questioned whether it belongs there. Genetic data show that it and the two species of genus Xenerpestes are sisters, and they in turn are sisters to the pink-legged graveteiro (Acrobatornis fonsecai).

The orange-fronted plushcrown is 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in) long and weighs 10 to 12 g (0.35 to 0.42 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have an orange forehead ("front") and yellow lores, eyering, and supercilium; the last becomes greenish yellow behind the eye. They have a faint greenish olive line through the eye and greenish olive ear coverts. Their crown, back, rump, and tail are greenish olive, with the rump being somewhat paler. The "plush" of the crown is usually not apparent in the field. Their wings are dark olive fuscous with pale yellow edges on... Wikipedia →