Slaty Finch (Haplospiza rustica) [XC187001]
by William Adsett from Nono-Tandayapa road, Pichincha, Ecuador (song)
Slaty Finch (Haplospiza rustica) [XC73614]
by Pat ODonnell from ?, Panama (song)
Subspecies
Molecular data suggest that this genus is part of a clade which includes also Catamenia, as well as Plumbeous Sierra-Finch (Geospizopsis unicolor) and Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch (Geospizopsis plebejus) (but not others of that genus). In particular, a relationship between present genus and Plumbeous Sierra-Finch (Geospizopsis unicolor) was suggested by early authors on basis of similarities in plumage and structure. Molecular data indicate also that Acanthidops is related to present genus. This species probably forms a superspecies with Uniform Finch (Haplospiza unicolor). Middle American subspecies uniformis, larger-billed than Neotropical ones, may deserve study to assess possibility that it represents a distinct species.
Proposed subspecies barrilesensis, described from western Panama (Barilles, in Chiriquí) on basis of purportedly smaller size than uniformis, is treated as a synonym of latter, as supposed differences based on very small samples.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
uniformis Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1873 - South-eastern Mexico (southern Chiapas; formerly also central Veracruz) and highlands of Guatemala, Honduras, northern El Salvador and north-western Nicaragua. Also highlands of north-central Costa Rica and extreme western Panama.
rusticus (Tschudi, 1844) - Northern and western Venezuela southern in Andes, including all three ranges in Colombia, to central Bolivia.
arcana (Wetmore and Phelps Jr, 1949) - Tepuis of southern Venezuela (Cerro Chimantá-tepui in Bolívar).
barrilesensis (Davidson, 1932) - Highlands of Honduras, Costa Rica and western Panama (Chiriquí).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet