The Piura hemispingus is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and heavily degraded former forest.
Region
Andes Mountains
Typical Environment
Occurs on the west and east slopes of the northern Andes in southern Ecuador and northwestern Peru, especially around the Piura region. Prefers subtropical to tropical moist montane forests, cloud forests, and forest edges with abundant mosses and epiphytes. It also uses secondary growth, thickets, and heavily degraded former forest where some canopy or dense understory remains. Birds typically keep to the mid-story and understory, moving through vine tangles and along forested ravines.
Altitude Range
1600–3000 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The Piura hemispingus is a small Andean tanager of the cloud-forest belt, formerly placed in the genus Hemispingus but now treated in Sphenopsis. It forages quietly in dense foliage and often joins mixed-species flocks with other tanagers and warblers. Although tolerant of edge and second growth, it is sensitive to extensive forest loss and fragmentation.
Temperament
quiet, skulking, and alert
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between perches
Social Behavior
Usually found in pairs or small family groups and frequently associates with mixed-species flocks in the mid-story. Breeding pairs are territorial; the nest is a small cup hidden in dense vegetation. Both parents typically participate in provisioning the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a soft, thin series of high-pitched trills and sibilant notes delivered from inside foliage. Calls are sharp chips and tseet notes used to keep contact within mixed flocks.
Plumage
Mostly olive-green upperparts with a grayish head and nape; underparts are dull yellow to yellow-olive, often paler on the throat. The face shows a subtle pale eye ring or broken eyering and a faint, sometimes diffuse, pale supercilium. Wings and tail are dusky-olive without bold wing bars.
Diet
Feeds on small arthropods such as caterpillars, beetles, and spiders, gleaned from leaves, moss, and twigs. Also consumes small berries and other soft fruits, especially when insects are less available. Foraging is methodical, often sallying short distances to pick items from foliage and epiphytes.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the understory to mid-story of humid montane forest, along edges, and in secondary growth with dense shrub layers. Often follows mixed flocks through mossy branches and vine tangles where prey is abundant.
