Chlorospingus semifuscus semifuscus Sclater & Salvin, 1873

Sánchez-Nivicela, Manuel, Avendaño, Jorge Enrique, Sánchez-Nivicela, Juan C., Torres, Ana, Fuchs, Jérôme, Bird, Bentley & Bonaccorso, Elisa, 2021, A taxonomic assessment of Chlorospingus flavopectus phaeocephalus and Chlorospingus semifuscus (Passeriformes: Passerellidae), including the description of a new subspecies, Zootaxa 5057 (2), pp. 151-180 : 164

Chlorospingus semifuscus semifuscus Sclater & Salvin, 1873

Plumage and iris coloration (n = 48; 18 males, 18 females, and 12 unsexed). —Throat color and pattern: smoke gray (C.44) with scarce dark neutral gray (c.83) and/or glaucous (C.79) speckles; a fine hint of a dark neutral gray (C.83) moustachial stripe may be observed depending on the angle. Pectoral band: absent, but hints of olive-yellow (C.52), light yellowish olive (i. 23) mixed with pale neutral gray (C.86) on this body part; it gives the impression of a faint breast band. Sides of shoulders: olive-yellow (C.52). Belly: a mixture of medium (C.84), light (C.85), and pale neutral gray (C.86); barbules sometimes olive-yellow (C.52) and/or light yellowish olive (i. 23). Iris red, ruby, or orange-red.

Breeding. —In Ecuador: MSN observed a begging fledgling in Quinde Luna (feeders area), northwest Pichincha Province, on 2 February 2019; a juvenile being fed by an adult was photographed by MSN at Birdwatchers House on Santa Rosa area, Pichincha Province, on 4 November 2018. In Colombia: A juvenile reported from west Nariño in July ( Fjeldså & Krabbe 1990). At Ñambí River, La Planada, Nariño Department: on 9 August 1995 and 13 May 1996, a pair carrying nesting material; a nest under construction on 23 April 1997; adults feeding fledglings and juveniles between October and December 1995, and in July 1996; young birds being fed in June and September 1997 ( Bohórquez & Stiles 2002); adults carrying food and feeding young in April, and on 29 June and 11 July 1998 ( Strewe 2001).

Distribution. —From the Pacific slope in Nariño Department, Colombia (southern bank of the Patía River valley), southwards along the Ecuadorian western Andean slope towards El Porvenir, in Bolívar Province, at 1200‒ 2300 m (locally higher) ( Freile et al. 2020; Hilty 2020b). The southern limit is inferred by the existence of a single skin of a male dated 1899 (NHMUK 1931.11.23.8), from El Porvenir, Bolívar Province, with no confirmed reports of this taxon in this Province since then. Possibly, the current southern limit of the distribution of C. s. semifuscus is the Angamarca River. However, this river is considered a lesser barrier ( Krabbe et al. 1998), allowing occasional dispersal to Bolívar Province, as far south as El Porvenir. A revision of mislabeled specimens is available in Supplementary Material A9.