Oleaginous Hemispingus (Sphenopsis frontalis)

Oleaginous hemispingus
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Thraupidae
Genus:	Sphenopsis
Species:	S. frontalis
Binomial name
Sphenopsis frontalis (Tschudi, 1844)

The oleaginous hemispingus (Sphenopsis frontalis) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. It inhabits wet montane rainforests at elevations of 1,400–2,700 m (4,600–8,900 ft). It is 14 cm (5.5 in) long and weighs 14–20 g (0.5–0.7 oz) on average. It has dull yellow underparts and olive-green upperparts. It is classified as being of least concern by the IUCN.

The oleaginous hemispingus was formally described as Hylophilus frontalis by the Swiss naturalist Johann Jakob von Tschudi in 1844 based on specimens collected from the Peruvian Andes. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word frontalis, meaning "fronted". The common name means "having...appearance of oil", referring to its olive coloration.^[2]

The oleaginous hemispingus has five recognised subspecies. These subspecies are fairly well-differentiated morphologically and exhibit clinal variation in Venezuela as they get further from the Andes.^[2]

• S. f. frontalis (Tschudi, 1844): The nominate subspecies, it is found from Peru and Ecuador north to Colombia.
• S. f. ignobilis (Sclater, 1862): It is found in the western Venezuelan Andes.
• S. f. flavidorsalis (Phelps & Phelps, 1953): It is found in the Sierra de Perijá mountains of northwest Venezuela. Its range may extend into Colombia.
• S. f. hanieli (Hellmayr & Seilern-Aspang, 1914): It is found in the coastal mountains of northern Venezuela.
• S. f. iterata Chapman, 1925: It is found in northeastern Venezuela.

The oleaginous hemispingus is, on average, 14 cm (5.5 in) long and weighs 14–20 g (0.5–0.7 oz). Its underparts are dull yellow in colour while its upperparts are olive-green. There is a thin, elongate supercilium that is yellowish in color and most conspicuous near the eye. The bill is gray and the legs are brown to fuscous in color.^[2]

The oleaginous hemispingus is found in the mountains of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela, where it inhabits wet montane rainforest with dense plant growth. Its elevational range varies throughout its range; it is known from elevations of 1,500–2,600 m (4,900–8,500 ft) in Peru and Ecuador, from 1,500–2,700 m (4,900–8,900 ft) in Colombia, and from 1,400–2,900 m (4,600–9,500 ft) in Venezuela.^[2]

The oleaginous hemispingus is classified as being of least concern by the IUCN. It is abundant throughout much of its range, but is nevertheless thought to be declining in population due to habitat loss.^[1][2]