Other Names (World)
Common Bush-Tanager, Brown-headed Bush-tanager, Dotted Bush-tanager (punctulatus), Yellow-breasted Bush-tanager (flavopectus group), Buff-breasted Bush-tanager (cinereocephalus), Common Bush Tanager, Common Chlorospingus
Family
Passerellidae (New World Sparrows)
Size
13 - 14.50 cm
First Described (Guide)
(Du Bus de Gisignies, 1847)
Habitat
Subtropical and tropical moist montane forest. From 1,000 - 2,500 m, occasionally up to 3,500 m.
Common Bush Tanager (Chlorospingus flavopectus) [XC288777]
by James Bradley from Florida, Santa Cruz, Bolivia (song)
Common Bush Tanager (Chlorospingus flavopectus) [XC525785]
by id from PNN Chicaque, vereda Fute, Colombia (?)
Subspecies
Recent molecular-genetic studies indicate that this genus and Nesospingus, Spindalis and Phaenicophilus form a monophyletic clade that is sister to several New World warbler (Parulidae) genera (including Dendroica, Basileuterus and Vermivora), and are not closely related to other genera of present family. More recent evidence suggests that Chlorospingus is closest to genus Arremonops in family Emberizidae. This species forms a monophyletic group with Tacarcuna Bush-Tanager (Chlorospingus tacarcunae) and Pirre Bush-Tanager (Chlorospingus inornatus) and has been regarded as conspecific with former. Subspecific taxonomy complex and not fully understood and some subspecies at least as distinct as are several other taxa in genus that are currently regarded as full species. DNA data reveal five major clades among Mexican populations alone, as supported by morphological analyses, but vocal information and equivalent data from southern populations have not yet been analysed.
Subspecies punctulatus has sometimes been treated as a full species, as also have cinereocephalus, and the "flavopectus group" (also including trudis, nigriceps, exitelus, macarenae and phaeocephalus). Numerous racial limits poorly defined, and taxonomy of the species, as a whole, in need of review.
Proposed subspecies persimilis (described from R Guajolote, south-west of San Miguel Suchixtepec, in Oaxaca, Mexico) is regarded as synonymous with albifrons.
The following 28 subspecies are recognised:
ophthalmicus (Du Bus de Gisignies, 1847) - Atlantic slope of eastern Mexico (south-eastern San Luis Potosí and western Veracruz south to north-eastern Oaxaca).
wetmorei Lowery & Newman, RJ, 1949 - Sierra de Tuxtla (eastern Veracruz), in southern Mexico.
albifrons Salvin & Godman, 1889 - Sierra Madre del Sur (Guerrero and Oaxaca), in southern Mexico.
dwighti Underdown, 1931 - Caribbean slope in southern Mexico (Chiapas) and Guatemala.
postocularis Cabanis, 1866 - Pacific slope in southern Mexico (Chiapas) and Guatemala.
honduratius von Berlepsch, 1912 - El Salvador and Honduras.
regionalis Bangs, 1906 - Nicaragua and eastern Costa Rica.
novicius Bangs, 1902 - South-western Costa Rica and western Panama (Chiriquí).
punctulatus Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1869 - Western Panama (Veraguas east to Panamá).
ponsi Phelps & Phelps Jr, 1952 - North-western Venezuela (eastern slope of Sierra de Perijá).
falconensis Phelps & Gilliard, 1941 - Northern Venezuela (Sierra de San Luis, in Falcón, and Sierra de Aroa, in Yaracuy).
venezuelanus von Berlepsch, 1893 - Western slope of Venezuelan Andes (from Lara south to Táchira).
jacqueti Hellmayr, 1921 - Northern and south-western Venezuela (Miranda and eastern slope of Andes from Lara south to Táchira) and western slope of eastern Andes (Norte de Santander) in Colombia.
eminens Zimmer, JT, 1946 - Eastern slope of eastern Andes in Colombia (southern part of Norte de Santander and Boyacá).
flavopectus (Du Bus de Gisignies, 1847) - Western slope of eastern Andes in Colombia from Santander south to vicinity of Bogotá.
trudis Olson, 1983 - Western slope of eastern Andes at La Pica (between San Andrés and Málaga), in eastern Santander (Colombia).
nigriceps Chapman, 1912 - Colombia on eastern slope of western Andes at northern end, both slopes of central Andes (south of exitelus), and western slope of eastern Andes (south of flavopectus and trudis to upper end of Magdalena Valley).
exitelus Olson, 1983 - Both slopes of northern end of central Andes in Antioquia (Colombia).
macarenae Zimmer, JT, 1947 - Macarena Mts, in southern Meta (Colombia).
phaeocephalus Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1877 - Both slopes of Andes in Ecuador.
hiaticolus O'Neill & Parker, TA, 1981 - Andes of northern Peru (south to Pasco).
cinereocephalus Taczanowski, 1874 - Andes of central Peru (Junín, probably also northern Cuzco).
peruvianus Carriker, 1933 - Andes of southern Peru (Cuzco and Puno).
bolivianus Hellmayr, 1921 - Andes of northern Bolivia (Cordillera de La Paz south to northern end of Cordillera de Cochabamba).
fulvigularis von Berlepsch, 1901 - Andes of central Bolivia (southern Cordillera de Cochabamba).
argentinus Hellmayr, 1921 - Andes of central Bolivia (headwaters of R Mizque) south to northern Argentina (Jujuy, Salta and Tucumán).
olsoni Avendaño, Stiles & Cadena, 2013 - East slope of the eastern Andes of Colombia (Boyacá, Caanare, and Cundinamarca).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet