White-throated Sierra-Finch Phrygilus erythronotus

White-throated Sierra-Finch is a restricted range species found in southern Peru, northern Chile, and western Bolivia. Its range is complementary to that of the Red-backed Sierra-Finch (Phrygilus dorsalis), White-throated being found north and west of Red-backed. There are reports of hybrids between these two species, and even suggestions that they may be better treated as a single variable species. Note also that juvenile White-throated Sierra-Finches show warm brownish backs, and show a potential for misidentification with the Red-backed. More work needs to be done to determine how these two species behave when found together. The adult White-throated Sierra-Finch is largely gray with a black bill, white throat and underparts. Often the wings look contrastingly darker, blackish than the gray body. As White-throated Sierra-Finch is patchy in its distribution and not all that common, there are few places where it can be readily observed; one of these is Lauca National Park in northernmost Chile.