Orange-fronted plushcrown

The orange-fronted plushcrown (Metopothrix aurantiaca) is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird familyFurnariidae.^[2] It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.^[3]

The orange-fronted plushcrown is the only member of its genus and has no subspecies.^[2] Its plumage is so unlike that of most members of family Furnariidae that many authors have questioned whether it belongs there. Genetic data show that it and the two species of genus Xenerpestes are sisters, and they in turn are sisters to the pink-legged graveteiro (Acrobatornis fonsecai).^[4][5][6]

The orange-fronted plushcrown is 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in) long and weighs 10 to 12 g (0.35 to 0.42 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have an orange forehead ("front") and yellow lores, eyering, and supercilium; the last becomes greenish yellow behind the eye. They have a faint greenish olive line through the eye and greenish olive ear coverts. Their crown, back, rump, and tail are greenish olive, with the rump being somewhat paler. The "plush" of the crown is usually not apparent in the field. Their wings are dark olive fuscous with pale yellow edges on the coverts and flight feathers. Their throat is yellow and the rest of their underparts are dull yellowish green that is slightly paler on the belly. Their iris is brown to dark brown to gray, their maxilla black, their mandible black to gray, and their legs and feet bright yellow-orange to yellow. Juveniles have little or no orange and yellow on their face. It is the only species of furnariid with yellow/greenish plumage and yellow legs, in which it resembles a tanager or warbler.^[5][7][8][9]

El colibrí de frente naranja se encuentra en los departamentos de Putumayo y Amazonas del sureste de Colombia , el este de Ecuador y Perú, el departamento de Beni en el noreste de Bolivia, y desde allí hasta el oeste de Brasil, al este de los ríos Juruá inferior y Purus superior . Habita bosques a lo largo de los ríos e islas en ellos, bosques secundarios maduros y los bordes de claros en bosques de várzea y tierra firme . Rara vez se encuentra lejos de un río. En altitud, generalmente oscila entre 150 y 650 m (490 y 2100 pies) ; en Colombia alcanza solo 500 m (1600 pies) . ^{[ 5 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ]}    

La UICN ha clasificado al colibrí de frente naranja como de Preocupación Menor. Tiene una distribución muy amplia y un tamaño poblacional desconocido que se cree estable. No se han identificado amenazas inmediatas. ^{[ 1 ]} Se considera generalmente poco común, pero localmente común, y se encuentra en varias áreas protegidas. Podría beneficiarse de una deforestación limitada, lo que resultaría en un aumento de sus hábitats preferidos de borde. ^{[ 5 ]}