Grey-eared Brushfinch

The grey-eared brushfinch or black-faced brushfinch (Atlapetes melanolaemus) is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows. It is found in Bolivia and Peru. == Taxonomy and systematics == The grey-eared brushfinch was formally described in 1879 with the binomial Buarremon melanolaemus. Genus Buarremon was merged into Atlapetes early in the twentieth century. Various twentieth century authors treated the grey-eared brushfinch as conspecific with what was then the rufous-naped brushfinch (A. rufinucha sensu lato), a species that was split into many species in the early twenty-first century. The grey-eared brushfinch is monotypic. == Description == The grey-eared brushfinch is about 17 cm (6.7 in) long and weighs about 27 to 30 g (0.95 to 1.1 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a bright rufous forehead, crown, and nape. Their face, chin, and throat are blackish. Their upperparts are blackish with a slight olive wash on the rump. Their tail is blackish with olive feather edges. Their wings are wholly blackish. Their underparts are dull yellow with dusky scaling on the breast and a dusky olive wash on the flanks. They have a dark reddish iris, a black bill, and blackish legs and feet.…