An international team of ornithologists led by Dr Townsend Peterson from the University of Kansas’ Biodiversity Institute has discovered a new species of brush-finch that lives in the cloud forests of the mountain range Sierra Madre del Sur in central Guerrero, Mexico.

The new species, scientifically named Arremon kuehnerii, belongs to the passerine family Emberizidae, a large family of birds known as buntings in Europe and sparrows in the Americas.

The bird’s specific name, kuehnerii, honors biologist Mr Carl Kuehner, a member of the board of directors of U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

“He has devoted significant time and effort to supporting conservation efforts by many organizations, including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Mr Kuehner leaves a significant legacy to the conservation and management of the world’s natural resources,” Dr Peterson with colleagues wrote in a paper in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology.

Arremon kuehnerii, commonly named the Guerrero Brush Finch, is a medium-sized finch with chestnut crown, black mask, and green-olive back; white throat separated from white-and-gray belly by black, crescent-shaped collar.

“Crown chestnut, eyebrow yellow-ochre, lores and small forehead stripe white within black mask extending from side of neck across face; bill black. Nape, back, rump, and upper surface of rectrices light olivegreen, somewhat deeper on tail. Throat white. Crescent-shaped black band across chest, below which belly is white bordered laterally by medium gray with some intermixture of light olive,” the ornithologists wrote in the paper.

“Undertail coverts and underside of rectrices sandy olive-green. Legs very dark brown on dried skin.”

Interestingly, the bird strongly resembles other species in the same genus. “Arremon kuehnerii is not distinguishable from Arremon brunneinucha suttoni and other members of the Arremon brunneinucha brunneinucha complex in terms of mensural characters or plumage coloration,” Dr Peterson with colleagues noted.

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Bibliographic information: Navarro-Sigüenza AG et al. 2013. A new species of Brush-Finch (Arremon; Emberizidae) from western Mexico. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 125 (3): 443-453; doi: 10.1676/12-136.1