Yariguies Brush finch discovered in 2006

Yariguies Brush-finch Atlapetes latinuchus yariguierum NOT YET EVALUATED

Crown dark rufous, facial mask black; mantle, wing-coverts, alula, flight-feathers, rump and rectrices closest to black, with virtually no contrast between mask and back. Very narrow line of six short yellow feathers below rufous crown, at base of bill. Throat, malar, breast and belly uniform yellow, becoming slightly yellower on belly and washed slightly darker on flanks. Indistinct darkish moustachial extends c.16 mm from bill. Underside of carpal yellow with small blackish spots. Greater coverts frontally white. Each except outermost primary and innermost five secondaries distally near white. Bare parts: mandible uniform black; legs horn, with feet soles yellowish grey; iris dark rufous.
Its habitat is the remote cloud rainforest in the northern Colombia. The pristine area where the birds live is one of the last remaining such Andean cloud forests in the country. The government has established a 190,000 Ha park in the region (Donegan & Huertas 2005; Huertas & Donegan 2006). The discovery was made by Thomas Donegan, of Fundación ProAves and Blanca Huertas, of the Natural History Museum and University College London, together with Elkin Briceno of CDMB. The research team had studied the isolated and densely vegetated region in various expeditions over a period of three years. Some regions had to be reached by all day hikes or helicopter drop.
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