Atlapetes canigenis

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Infraordo: Passerida
Superfamilia: Passeroidea

Familia: Passerellidae
Genus: Atlapetes
Species: Atlapetes canigenis
Name

Atlapetes canigenis Chapman, 1919
References

Chapman, F.M. 1919. Descriptions of proposed new Birds from Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 41(5): 323–333. hdl: 2246/1747 Open access Full article (PDF) Reference page. p. 330

Vernacular names
English: Grey Brush-finch
español: Atlapetes de Cuzco

The Cuzco brushfinch (Atlapetes canigenis), also known as the grey brushfinch or sooty brushfinch, is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae. It is endemic to humid Andean forest in southeastern Peru, where mainly found in Cusco. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the slaty brushfinch.

Description

Brushfinches are typically medium-size sparrows, with long tails. Brushfinches are usually gray or olive in colour with a contrasting crown.[2] Cuzco brushfinches are two-toned with a uniform dusky gray and a rufous crown. The center of the belly, as well as the other underparts, are lighter gray than the outside, which is dark gray and the rufous color extends to the nape. The crown is boarded by a black stripe extending from in front of the eyes until the gray auriculars. The tail and wings are blackish with the primaries margined slightly with a grayish external. There is a slight fulvous or tawny tint to the remiges most external parts.[3]

One important note is that the Cuzco brushfinch shows considerable variation with the intensity of gray in the underparts - some almost uniformly dark gray below and others that are pale gray with grayish-white abdomens.

Males and females are extremely similar in colour, with the female being slightly smaller.
Measurements

Adults:[2][3]

Male: wing 76 mm (3.0 in), tail 78 mm, tarsus 27 mm (1.1 in), culmen 15.5 mm (0.61 in)

Female: wing 72 mm (2.8 in), tail 72 mm, tarsus 25 mm, culmen 15 mm
Taxonomy

The Cuzco brushfinch is a species in the genus Atlapetes - along with 30 others.[4] This genus is in the under-class Aves, order passeriformes (songbirds) and family Emberizidae. The Cuzco brushfinch has been denoted in 1919 by Chapman as Atlapetes canigenis.[5]

In 1938 canigenis was categorized as a subspecies of slaty brushfinch. However, Canigenis is in a clade that contains other taxa of Atlapetes from southern Peru and Bolivia, such as Atlapetes melanolaemus (black-faced brush-finch), Atlapetes melanopsis (black-spectacled brush-finch) and Atlapetes forbesi (Apurimac brush-finch), and is not as closely related to schistaceus as once thought.[5]

Remsen and Graves (1995) later predicted that the populations of the slaty brushfinch are not monophyletic but rather have a closer relatedness to the parapatric populations of rufous-naped brushfinch. This species had population distributed from northwestern Venezuela to Bolivia.[5]

Many brushfinches occur in this area; for example, A. mfinucha rerborghi, A. schistaceus canigenis and A. mfinucha tnelnizolaernus, which all have a similarly rather poorly developed malar stripe. However this does not imply a close relationship, despite all looking very similar and having a similar habitat. Paynter (1978) hypothesised no close relationship between A. melanolaemus and A. canigenis.[6][7]
Distribution and habitat
Distribution

The Cuzco brushfinch is native to the Americas. More specifically it is an endemic of south-central Peru where it is found in montane areas of the Andes. The known elevation range for this brushfinch is approximately 2,300–3,600 m (7,550–11,810 ft) above sea level.[8] They are mostly seen in the surrounding areas of Cusco.[9]
Habitat

There is very little information on the specific habitat of the Cuzco brushfinch. They do tend to reside in the humid temperate zone of the Andes,[10] as they thrive in humid montane forest on the slopes.[11]
Behavior
Vocalization

The Cuzco brushfinch has complex series of high-pitched squeaks. It is described as "shrill trill followed by a chatter and tew-tew-tew swee swee".[12]

Their “dawn song” was defined as the varied phrases given at regular intervals by the male alone, mainly or only at dawn and is different than a duet call. They are also known to include loud drawn out notes.
Diet

Undocumented, but most likely it will eat a mixture of terrestrial invertebrates, seeds, and small fruits and berries.[13] They have been seen to eat seeds from a tree. Similar species have been documented as a group to the sub-canopy type foragers.[8]
Reproduction

Very little is documented about the nest and eggs of the Cuzco brushfinch. It is presumed that the nest is a cup.[14] This species is seen very actively breeding at altitudes of 2,300 to 3,600 m (7,500 to 11,800 ft),[8] meaning that they probably stay in their normal habitat for this.
References

BirdLife International (2016). "Atlapetes canigenis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22728576A94990434. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22728576A94990434.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
"Cuzco Brushfinch - Appearance | Neotropical Birds Online". neotropical.birds.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
Chapman, Frank M.; Heller, Edmund; Cherrie, George Kruck; Watkins, Harry; Miller, Leo E.; Boyle, Howarth S. (1919). "Descriptions of proposed new birds from Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile". Bulletin of the AMNH. 41 (article 5). hdl:2246/1747.
Sánchez-González, Luis A.; Navarro-Sigüenza, Adolfo G.; Krabbe, Niels K.; Fjeldså, Jon; García-Moreno, Jaime (2014-11-21). "Diversification in the Andes: the Atlapetes brush-finches". Zoologica Scripta. 44 (2): 135–152. doi:10.1111/zsc.12088. ISSN 0300-3256. S2CID 51735739.
"Cuzco Brushfinch - Systematics | Neotropical Birds Online". neotropical.birds.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
Valqui, Thomas; Fjeldså, Jon (2008-06-28). "New brush-finch Atlapetes from Peru". Ibis. 141 (2): 194–198. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.1999.tb07541.x. ISSN 0019-1019.
Valqui, Thomas; Fjeldså, Jon (2008-06-28). "New brush-finch Atlapetes from Peru". Ibis. 141 (2): 194–198. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.1999.tb07541.x. ISSN 0019-1019.
Hosner, Peter A.; Andersen, Michael J.; Robbins, Mark B.; Urbay-Tello, Abraham; Cueto-Aparicio, Luis; Verde-Guerra, Karen; Sánchez-González, Luis A.; Navarro-Sigüenza, Adolfo G.; Boyd, Roger L. (Dec 2015). "Avifaunal Surveys of the Upper Apurímac River Valley, Ayacucho and Cuzco Departments, Peru: New Distributional Records and Biogeographic, Taxonomic, and Conservation Implications". The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 127 (4): 563–581. doi:10.1676/14-178.1. ISSN 1559-4491. S2CID 85682262.
"eBird Range Map--Cuzco Brushfinch". ebird.org. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
Hellmayr, Charles E. (1938). Catalogue of birds of the Americas and the adjacent islands in Field Museum of Natural History. Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.2869.
"Cuzco Brush-Finch (Atlapetes canigenis) - Peru Aves | Peru Birds". Peru Aves | Peru Birds. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
O'Neill, John P.; Parker, Theodore A.; Schulenberg, Thomas S.; Stotz, Douglas F.; Lane, Daniel F. (2010-01-31). Birds of Peru. Princeton: Princeton University Press. doi:10.1515/9781400834495. ISBN 978-1400-83449-5.
"Cuzco Brushfinch - Diet and Foraging | Neotropical Birds Online". neotropical.birds.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
"Cuzco Brushfinch - Breeding | Neotropical Birds Online". neotropical.birds.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-15.