Golden-fronted Whitestart (Myioborus ornatus) [XC689994]
by Dante Buzzetti from La Calera, Cundinamarca, Colombia (?)
Golden-fronted Whitestart (Myioborus ornatus) [XC24031]
by Myornis from Lepipuerto, Serrania de los Yariguies, Colombia (song)
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Spectacled Whitestart (Myioborus melanocephalus), and possibly also White-fronted Whitestart (Myioborus albifrons) and the three form a monophyletic clade. The two subspecies have discrete ranges, and it has been suggested that chrysops may be more closely related to Spectacled Whitestart (Myioborus melanocephalus) than it is to nominate subspecies of present species, and perhaps, therefore, conspecific with latter. Such treatment appears not to be supported by recent study of phylogeny of genus. In potential zone of range overlap (extreme south-western Colombia and adjacent north-western Ecuador), several records of individuals intermediate in head pattern between subspecies chrysops of present species and subspecies ruficoronatus of Spectacled Whitestart (Myioborus melanocephalus). These were originally thought to be variants of ruficoronatus, but may be result of hybridization, or even an undescribed subspecies of one or other species. A recent record of pair of apparently phenotypically pure chrysops from this area lends weight to hybrid theory.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
chrysops (Salvin, 1878) - Western and central Andes and southern part of eastern Andes of central and southern Colombia; possibly also northern Ecuador (Napo). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Golden-fronted Whitestart (Myioborus chrysops).
ornatus (Boissonneau, 1840) - Extreme western Venezuela (Páramo de Tamá, in south-western Táchira) and southern in eastern Andes of Colombia (south to Bogotá).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet