Moustached brushfinch

The moustached brushfinch (Atlapetes albofrenatus) is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae.

It is found in northern Colombia, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and heavily degraded former forest.

The moustached brushfinch was first formally described in 1940 by the French ornithologist Auguste Boissonneau. He named it Tanagra (arremon) albo-frenatus, considering it to be part of the Tanager family.

A study of the mitochondrial DNA gene sequences for the family Passerellidae indicated that the moustached brushfinch is most closely related to the ochre-breasted brushfinch, found in Colombia and Venezuela, and the Santa Marta brushfinch, endemic to Colombia.

Two subspecies are recognised:

The subspecies A. a. meridae has sometimes been treated as a separate species, the Merida brushfinch, but both taxa have variable plumage and there is no published genetic data.

Like most Atlapetes species, the moustached brushfinch is a large-headed, long-tailed New World sparrow.

Adult. Adults are between 17.5 and 18cm in length, and weigh approximately 30g. Their upper parts are mostly olive green, with the primaries and tail being black tinged with olive. The breast, belly and vent are deep yellow, while the flanks are yellow with a greenish wash.