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Bronze-green Euphonia Euphonia mesochrysa Scientific name definitions

Steven Hilty
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2011

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Introduction

The Bronze-green Euphonia is restricted to the east slope of the Andes between Colombia and Bolivia, where it is mostly confined to elevations between 1000 and 2000 m, i.e. generally higher than most other euphonias, in the canopy and borders of humid montane forest. Both sexes are rather dull-colored euphonias, and could be confused with the immatures of other congeners. The male is mostly olive-colored and slightly glossed above, with a gray nape, a prominent yellow forehead patch, a yellowish-olive throat and breast, and the rest of the underparts are ochraceous yellow. Females are basically very similar but lack the yellow forehead patch, and have the central underparts gray.

Field Identification

9–10 cm; 12–15 g. Small and rather drab euphonia with thick and stubby bill. Male nominate race has narrow dark olive band (inconspicuous) over bill, bordered above on forehead by bright yellow patch; mid-crown olive, rear crown greyish fading to olive on nape; upperparts olive with strong grey-blue gloss, uppertail dusky olive; upperwing-coverts olive-green, primary coverts blackish, flight-feathers dusky, outer ones edged yellow-green, inner feathers and tertials progressively more broadly edged olive-green; throat, chest and sides yellowish-olive; rest of underparts deep ochre-yellow; tail entirely dark grey below (no white); iris dark brown; bill blackish above, most of lower mandible bluish-grey; legs dark grey. Female is like male above, but entire forecrown to mid-crown olive (no yellow), and rear crown and nape strongly tinged greyish; throat, chest and upper breast duller olive-yellow, centre of lower breast and belly light grey, sides, flanks and undertail-coverts dull olive-yellow. Juvenile undescribed. Race media is much like nominate, male differing in darker coloration, yellow of forehead wider and darker, back of head darker grey, olive of back darker, olive of throat also darker and more restricted, and yellow of underparts darker and more extensive, female also darker than nominate female; tavarae male differs from nominate in numerous subtle ways, including slightly paler forehead, dark band at base of forehead wider, throat darker and more olive and contrasting more with yellow of belly, which is less orange-tinted.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Euphonia mesochrysa mesochrysa Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Colombia (at head of Magdalena Valley in Huila; E slope of E Andes from E Cundinamarca and W Meta) S to E Ecuador.
SUBSPECIES

Euphonia mesochrysa media Scientific name definitions

Distribution

N and C Peru on E slope of Andes (Amazonas and Cajamarca) S to Cuzco (R Chanchamayo).
SUBSPECIES

Euphonia mesochrysa tavarae Scientific name definitions

Distribution

SE Peru (S from R Tavara) S on E slope of Andes to Bolivia (to Cochabamba and extreme W Santa Cruz).

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Humid and wet montane forest (cloudforest). Occurs in steep hillside forest and along forest borders, and visits small trees and shrubs in clearings and landslides and along roadsides. Recorded mainly at 800–2150 m, less often down to c. 600 m in foothills; in Ecuador 1100–1800 m, locally to 900 m; in Peru mainly 1000–2000 m, locally down to 450 m (in Puno); one record in NE Peru (Loreto) at 150 m.

Movement

Little information. Some seasonal or irregular elevational movement in response to changing resource levels likely.

Diet and Foraging

Fruits and berries; probably some insects. Apparently feeds mainly on berries of smaller trees and shrubs with low but prolonged fruiting periods, e.g. melastomes and Cecropia. Two stomachs contained only fruit. Rather quiet and timid, most often seen when it comes to feed on berries at small forest-edge melastome shrubs or other small fruiting trees, either with temporary feeding associations or with mixed-species flocks containing Tangara, Chlorospingus and other small tanagers; frequently follows mixed flocks. In Peru reported as searching small clumps of moss, lichens and epiphytes on branches and large limbs, occasionally on tree trunks, and frequently seen in mistletoe.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Rather quiet; lacks loud whistles of “black-and-yellow” euphonias, and all vocalizations somewhat ventriloquial. Call a soft burry “tr-r-r-r-r”, sometimes doubled or tripled, or notes may be shorter, e.g. “tr-r-r tr-r-r”; also utters weak high “chip” note, this also sometimes doubled or given in longer series. Song 1–3 low whistled notes followed by a series of low burry trills, “whut tr-t-t tr-t-t tr-r-r” or “whu-téé-wur-pur’r’r’t”; song sometimes accompanied by “chip” notes.

Breeding

No information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Uncommon. Can be found in a number of protected areas on E Andean slope, including Cordillera Los Picachos National Park (Colombia), Sangay National Park (Ecuador), Manu National Park (Peru) and Madidi National Park (Bolivia). Although E slope of Andes has suffered extensive deforestation, wide areas of unprotected intact habitat remain which unlikely to be at risk in the near term.
Distribution of the Bronze-green Euphonia - Range Map
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Distribution of the Bronze-green Euphonia

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Hilty, S. (2020). Bronze-green Euphonia (Euphonia mesochrysa), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.brgeup1.01
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