Common chlorospingus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Common chlorospingus |
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| Chlorospingus flavopectus regionalis, Costa Rica | |
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| Chlorospingus flavopectus punctulatus, Panama | |
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| Genus: |
Chlorospingus
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| Species: |
flavopectus
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| Synonyms | |
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Chlorospingus ophthalmicus (but see text) |
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The common chlorospingus (Chlorospingus flavopectus), also known as the common bush tanager, is a small passerine bird. A passerine is a type of bird that perches, like sparrows or robins. This bird lives in the highlands from central Mexico all the way south to Bolivia and northwest Argentina.
Scientists believe that what we call C. flavopectus might actually be several different, but very similar, species. This is called a "cryptic species complex." Many of the up to 25 different types (subspecies) of this bird might actually be their own unique species. Some of these groups seem more different from each other than other birds in the Chlorospingus family.
Contents
Discover the Common Chlorospingus: Appearance and Habits
This bird is about 13.5 cm (5.3 in) long. That's about the length of a pen. It weighs around 20 g (0.71 oz), which is lighter than a few coins.
What Does It Look Like?
The common chlorospingus has a brown head. It usually has a thin light stripe above its eye, called a supercilium. There's also a white spot behind its eye and a light-colored throat. Its upper body is olive green, and its belly is yellow, turning white further down.
The colors on its face, throat, and around its eyes can look very different depending on where the bird lives. This is one reason why scientists think these birds might be a group of very similar species. Young birds are browner and darker. Baby birds are covered in dark gray fuzz and have bright yellow beaks.
Sounds of the Chlorospingus
The common chlorospingus makes a squeaky tseeet or chit sound. Its songs can be very different from one group of birds to another. This also helps scientists figure out if they are different species.
The sooty-capped chlorospingus (C. pileatus) is a related bird. It has a blacker head and a clear white stripe above its eye, instead of just an eye spot.
Where Does It Live?
You can usually find this bird in Middle America at heights from 400 to 2,300 m (1,300 to 7,500 ft) above sea level. Near the Equator, they live even higher, from 2,000–3,500 m (6,600–11,500 ft) above sea level.
Their home is often in cloud forests. These forests have lots of plants growing close to the ground. They also live in nearby bushy clearings. The forests are full of trees and shrubs like Asteraceae (daisy family) and Rubiaceae (coffee family). You'll also find epiphytes, which are plants that grow on other plants, like some types of Araceae (e.g., Anthurium) and Orchidaceae (orchids).
Daily Life and Diet
Common chlorospinguses are often seen in small groups. They also join "mixed-species feeding flocks." This means they fly and feed with other types of birds. They don't usually travel far from their home area.
These birds eat insects and spiders. They also enjoy small fruits and nectar from flowers.
Nesting and Eggs
The common chlorospingus doesn't seem to have a specific nesting season in warmer areas. But generally, they prefer to breed between October and May.
They are good at hiding their nests. They might build them under plants on a bank, inside a hollow tree trunk, among epiphytes, or high up in a tree. The nest is shaped like a cup and is quite big. It's made from thin twigs, roots, leaves, and moss. The nest is about 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in) tall and nearly 10 cm (3.9 in) wide. The inside of the cup is lined with soft leaves and fibers. It's about 5 cm (2.0 in) wide and deep.
Nests can be over 20 m (66 ft) high in a tree. But usually, they are 15 m (49 ft) high or less. Some nests are even built less than 1 m (3.3 ft) above the ground, or right on it!
Most of the time, a female bird lays two eggs. In the northernmost areas, they sometimes lay three eggs. In the southern Andean mountains, they might often lay only one egg. These birds can have two sets of babies in a season.
The eggs are off-white with larger purplish-brown spots and smaller maroon spots, mostly on the wider end. They are about 20 mm (0.79 in) long and weigh about 2.4 g (0.085 oz). However, single eggs from Andean birds can be almost 24 mm (0.94 in) long and weigh around 3 g (0.11 oz).
The female bird sits on the eggs for most of the day. Both parents bring food to the young birds. As the baby birds get ready to leave the nest, they are fed about every 15 minutes.
Understanding Common Chlorospingus Groups
For many years, scientists have been trying to understand the different types of common chlorospingus birds. They look very similar, but there are many small differences.
Northern Groups
Birds in the northern areas often have a brownish or reddish-brown crown (the top of their head). Their head markings are usually clear and stand out. Their song is a high, thin whichis whichis witchery tsee tseep seeur with many changes.
Scientists believe these northern groups separated from each other a very long time ago, even before the Great American Interchange (when North and South America connected). This happened about 6 million years ago. The different groups in Mexico started to become distinct about 3 to 4 million years ago.
The changes in these birds happened too early for the Pleistocene ice ages to be the main reason. Instead, it seems the common chlorospingus always lived in mountain cloud forests. Because they don't move around much, their family tree seems to be shaped by how their habitat grew and shrank due to Pliocene climate changes. Sometimes, birds also accidentally flew to new areas and started new groups.
Southern Groups
In the southern areas, there are also interesting differences between the bird populations. Several types of these birds seem quite distinct and might be their own species. These birds are generally darker and have less clear markings on their heads than the northern birds.
In northern Colombia and Venezuela, there's a group of subspecies that look a bit like the northern birds. They have a grayish-brown crown, a light, speckled throat, and a white area around their ears. Their morning song is a simple series of chit or chup notes.
Further south in the Andes, there's a group of larger birds. They don't have a strong brown color on their crown; it's often gray to blackish. Their white throat has almost no spots, and they don't have a white ear spot. Their morning song starts with chit notes that get faster and higher-pitched. Then, they often get faster but lower in pitch, ending in a soft trill trrrrrrrr.... Some of these birds have even more complex songs.
In the far south of the species' range, in northwestern Argentina, there's a type called C. o. argentatus. Not much is known about how these birds relate to the others in the Andes. They tend to build their nests unusually high up in trees. It's not known if they lay only one egg, like some other southern groups. They don't seem to like nesting less than 10 m (33 ft) above the ground. Even so, many of their nesting attempts fail.
