Golden-winged sparrow

Appearance

The Golden-winged sparrow can be identified by its black head, long yellow bill, gray upperparts, and a patch of green on its back. The golden-winged sparrow is the only sparrow in its range with a completely black head. Their eyes are either brown or black. The bills of adults are yellow and the bills of juveniles are black. A male Golden-winged sparrow's face, malar, and chin are black. It has a white throat, gray nape, and green on its back. A female Golden-winged Sparrow has buffier underparts. The average length of a Golden-winged Sparrow is 150 mm. Females weigh approximately 23g, and males weigh approximately 32g.

Distribution

So far, three subspecies of this bird have been recognized: "A. s. schlegeli" located along Caribbean costs of Colombia and Venezuela. "A. s. fratruelis" can be found in Serranía de Macuira, located on the Guajira Peninsula of northern Columbia. The other, "A. s. canidorsum", can be found in the north Columbian Andes. The "fratruelis" subspecies is larger and has a longer bill than the "schlegeli". The subspecies "canidorsum" is found on the west slope of the eastern Andes in Magdalena Valley, Columbia and has gray upperparts, white underparts, and does not have green on its back.

Status

As of 2023, the population of the golden-winged sparrow is stable. The population is classified as "Least Concern" by the IUCN Red List. The species also received this classification in 2012, 2009, 2008, and 2004. The golden-winged sparrow does not meet the criteria for a vulnerable species due to multiple factors. Its large extent of occurrence is above the 20,000 km^2 threshold, it currently has a stable population trend, and the population has not experienced more than a 30% decline in over ten years as of the year 2023.

Behavior

Golden-winged sparrows feed on or above the ground on seeds, fruit, and insects. They forage both alone and in pairs, in forests with second growth and dry to humid weather. The species breeds during the wet season due to an increase in singing activity. The song of golden-winged sparrows is commonly heard early in the morning during April and May. Their song is a high-pitched series of repeated notes, which have been described as the repetition of “Zeut-zeut-zeut-zee” or “Soot-soot-soot-see”.

Habitat

The golden-winged sparrow lives in a terrestrial ecosystem. Its habitats include subtropical or tropical dry forests and shrubland, and subtropical or tropical heavily degraded former forest, either artificial or terrestrial.

The Golden Winged Sparrow also lives in woodland or dry areas from the lowlands up to 1400 meters. Within these habitats, they reside in forests, second-growth, thickets, ravines, and hillsides.