Phrygilus unicolor
TAXONOMY
Emberiza unicolor Lafresnaye and d’Orbigny, 1837, Tacora,
Tacna, Peru. Six subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Phrygile gris-de-plomb; German: Bleiдmmerling;
Spanish: Frigilo Plomizo.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
6 in (15 cm); 0.75 oz (21 g). Sexually dimorphic, rather large
sparrows of the high mountains. Males are uniformly leaden
gray; females are streaked throughout with a coarsely streaked
breast and grayish rump. Juveniles resemble females.
DISTRIBUTION
Resident in the Andes from western Venezuela south to Argentine
Tierra del Fuego.
HABITAT
Found in pastures, meadows, shrubby edges, especially along
rivulets in paramo, and rarely up to the snowline.
BEHAVIOR
Not shy, they allow close approach; they crouch low to the
ground before flushing. After flying a short distance they drop
back into the paramo vegetation where they can be difficult to
see. Found in pairs or in small groups.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feed on the ground, probably on seeds and invertebrates
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Probably monogamous. Breeding season varies geographically.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
Copyright © 2016-2017 Animalia Life | All rights reserved