Gray Trembler
Cinclocerthia gutturalis
A bright-eyed, hefty billed bird of forests and to a lesser extent scrublands. Tends to hold its tail cocked up and wings drooped, especially when feeding. Mostly gray with a blackish mask and whitish underparts. Brown Trembler is largely warm brown, lacks white underparts of Gray Trembler and has a weaker mask, if any. White-breasted Thrasher is dark brown above and largely bright white below with a dark red eye (not yellow as in Gray Trembler). Song is a slow jumble of rich whistles and high-pitched sibilant notes. Calls include scattered whistles and harsh scolding notes.
Identification
The grey trembler is 23 to 26 cm (9.1 to 10.2 in) long and weighs 65 to 76.2 g (2.29 to 2.69 oz). The species has a long, slightly downcurved bill, the female's longer than the male's. Adults of the nominate subspecies have warm gray-brown upperparts with a somewhat darker face and wings. The throat and the middle of the breast and abdomen are buffy white. The sides of the breast are a lighter gray brown and the flanks browner with an olive tinge. Juveniles are browner and have a mottled chest. C. g. macrorhyncha has a grayer buffy breast and pale cinnamon flanks.
Taxonomy
The grey trembler was formerly thought to be conspecific with the brown trembler (Cinclocerthia ruficauda), the only other member of its genus. It has two subspecies, the nominate C. g. gutturalis and C. g. macrorhyncha.
- Scientific name
- Cinclocerthia gutturalis
- Authority
- (Lafresnaye, 1843)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Mimidae
- Genus
- Cinclocerthia
Range and habitat
C. g. gutturalis is found only on Martinique and C. g. macrorhyncha on Saint Lucia. Both mostly inhabit wet mature forests but are also found in dryer scrub and open woodland.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Tremblers derive their name from a typical behavior "in which the wings both are drooped and angled slightly away from the body...making very rapid vertical and lateral motions.<p>The grey trembler forages from the ground to the forest canopy, tearing open tangles and probing epiphyte clusters. Its diet has not been studied in detail but includes insects and other invertebrates, fruits, and occasionally small lizards.<p>The grey trembler breeds in March and April. Two types of nest have been described, an open cup made from thin twigs and dead leaves, and a dome made of dried grass. The clutch size is two or three.<p>The grey trembler's song is "[r]epeated notes and phrases, harsh to melodic, quavering whistles".
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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