Spectacled Whitestart

The spectacled whitestart or spectacled redstart (Myioborus melanocephalus) is a species of bird in the family Parulidae. It is found in humid Andean forests, woodland and scrub from southern Colombia to Bolivia == Taxonomy == The spectacled whitestart was described in 1844 as Setophaga melanocephala, from a type specimen collected in Maraynioc, Peru. It is sometimes known as the spectacled redstart. It forms a monophyletic group along with the yellow-fronted whitestart (M. ornatus), the white-fronted whitestart (M. albifrons), and the golden-fronted whitestart (M. chrysops). Whether all four form distinct species has been a matter of debate. M. melanocephalus and M. ornatus were previously considered the same species, and in the areas where the two come into contact in the southern Colombian Andes, intermediate phenotypes have been observed. The placement of M. m. ruficoronatus within the spectacled whitestart has also been questioned by molecular studies; M. m. ruficoronatus has been previously classified as a separate species, as has M. m. griseonuchus. The Handbook of the Birds of the World recognizes five subspecies within the spectacled whitestart; M. m. ruficoronatus, found in the Andes from Southwestern Colombia to Southern Ecuador; M. m. griseonuchus, found in the Western cordillera of the Andes in…