Arremonops chloronotus
The Green-backed Sparrow (*Arremonops chloronotus*) is a small, striking New World sparrow, typically measuring 14-15 cm (5.5-6 inches) in length and weighing around 20-25 grams. Its most distinctive features are its olive-green back and wings, contrasting sharply with a prominent head pattern comprising black lateral crown stripes, a broad white supercilium, and bright yellow lores. The underparts are a clean, unmarked gray, fading to white on the belly. There is no significant seasonal plum...
This sparrow primarily inhabits dense undergrowth of humid evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, including forest edges, secondary growth, and overgrown clearings, typically at low to moderate elevations up to 1,500 meters. It strongly favors areas with a thick shrub layer and leaf litter.
Their diet consists mainly of small insects and other invertebrates, supplemented with seeds and occasionally small fruits, all typically gleaned from the leaf litter or low vegetation.
Green-backed Sparrows are primarily diurnal and notoriously secretive, spending most of their time foraging on or near the ground, often hidden within dense vegetation. They employ a characteristic "double-scratch" foraging technique, kicking leaf litter aside with both feet simultaneously to exp...
The Green-backed Sparrow is a resident species found exclusively in the northern Neotropics, specifically across the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, Belize, northern Guatemala, and northwestern Honduras. Its distribution includes both the mainland (subspecies *Arremonops chloronotus chloronotus*) an...
Least Concern
- The Green-backed Sparrow is more often heard than seen, its loud, buzzing trill song betraying its presence from deep within the dense undergrowth. - Its bright yellow lores – the area between the eye and the bill – are a key identifying feature, contrasting sharply with its black and white hea...