| Buff-breasted Warbling-Finch (Poospiza lateralis) |
| Synonyms: Microspingus lateralis, Fringilla lateralis, Red-rumped Warbling Finch (in part) |
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Poospiza lateralis (or Microspingus lateralis) is confined to the moist montane forests in the coastal ranges of southeastern Brazil (eastern São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and southwestern Espírito Santo). It inhabits forest and forest edges, particularly those dominated by Araucaria and Podocarpus, at 900-2,100 m. A medium-sized warbling-finch (length ca. 15 cm; weight 16-21 g) with somewhat small bill. Grey head, yellowish superciliary, buffy throat and chest, rufous sides and rump, and white belly. P. lateralis feeds on seeds of grasses and other plants, and also invertebrates, e.g., winged termites; frequently joins mixed-species flocks in austral winter. Traditionally placed in the Emberizidae, P. lateralis and related species were recently placed in the Thraupidae (tanagers). We leave it under the Emberizidae until the taxonomic dust settles. The southern gray-throated form was split from this species and named Gray-throated Warbling-Finch (Poospiza or Microspingus cabanisi).
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