Microspingus erythrophrys
The Rusty-browed Warbling Finch (Microspingus erythrophrys) is a captivating neotropical songbird belonging to the tanager family (Thraupidae), not true finches, a fact often surprising to birders. Measuring approximately 13-14 cm (5.1-5.5 inches) in length and weighing 14-18 grams, its most distinctive feature is a prominent rufous-chestnut supercilium, or 'brow,' extending from the bill to behind the eye, contrasting sharply with a greyish-olive crown and dark lores. Its upperparts are a su...
Found primarily in humid montane forests, cloud forest edges, and dense scrub, often associated with bamboo thickets, at high elevations in the Andes.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on various small invertebrates gleaned from leaves and branches, supplemented occasionally with small fruits or berries.
This active, diurnal species typically forages alone or in pairs, frequently joining mixed-species flocks outside of the breeding season. It primarily gleans insects from foliage and twigs within the understory to mid-story, occasionally making short aerial sallies to catch flying prey. During th...
The Rusty-browed Warbling Finch is a resident species distributed across the high-altitude Andean slopes of south-central Peru, Bolivia, and northwestern Argentina. The nominate subspecies, *Microspingus erythrophrys erythrophrys*, is found from the departments of Cusco and Puno in Peru, extendin...
Least Concern
- Despite its common name, the Rusty-browed Warbling Finch belongs to the tanager family (Thraupidae), not true finches (Fringillidae) or New World Sparrows (Passerellidae). - Its most striking and identifiable feature is the prominent rufous-chestnut 'brow,' or supercilium, that gives it its com...