Russet-mantled Softtail
Cranioleuca berlepschi
Uncommon bird found in high-elevation forest in the eastern Andes of northern Peru. Adult is mostly rich chestnut with a pale face, forehead, chin, and bill. Juvenile is heavily spotted and scaled. Inhabits cloud forest with abundant bamboo, and usually first detected by voice. Song is a rapid series of shrill, raspy notes, similar to a hornero.
Identification
The russet-mantled softtail is 16.5 to 18 cm (6.5 to 7.1 in) long and weighs about 23 g (0.81 oz). It is a small, slender, furnariid with a slender bill. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a rufous face. Their forecrown is whitish or pale grayish brown and their crown dull brown. Their nape and back are rufous and their rump and uppertail coverts tawny olive. Their tail and wings are rufous. Their throat is ochraceous buff, their breast rufous, their belly tawny olive, and their crissum tawny rufous. Their iris is chestnut or reddish brown, their bill pale blue-gray with a gray base to the maxilla, and their legs and feet yellow-olive. Juveniles have a whitish crown and supercilium, an ochraceous tawny face, a pale brown back with an olivaceous tinge, a whitish throat, and a buffy breast with brown scaling.
Taxonomy
The russet-mantled softtail was originally described in genus Thripophaga. Based on a large molecular phylogenetic study of the suboscines published in 2020 it was moved by worldwide taxonomic systems to genus Cranioleuca. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society retains the russet-mantled softtail in Thripophaga but is seeking a formal proposal to move it to Cranioleuca.<p>The russet-mantled softtail is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Cranioleuca berlepschi
- Authority
- (Hellmayr, 1905)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Furnariidae
- Genus
- Thripophaga
Range and habitat
The russet-mantled softtail is found only in Peru, on the eastern Andes south of the Marañón River between the departments of Amazonas and La Libertad and perhaps further south into Huánuco. It inhabits elfin forest and the edge of humid montane forest. It seems to favor areas with Chusquea bamboo and much moss and bromeliads. In elevation it mostly ranges between 3,050 and 3,400 m (10,000 and 11,200 ft) but occurs locally down to 2,500 m (8,200 ft) and perhaps 1,800 m (5,900 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The russet-mantled softtail is a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The russet-mantled softtail feeds on arthropods but details are not known. It forages in pairs or in small groups thought to be families, usually as part of a mixed-species feeding flock. It gleans prey from dead leaf clusters and branches, usually within about 3 m (10 ft) of the ground.<p>The russet-mantled softtail's breeding season appears to be June to September. Nothing else is known about its breeding behavior.<p>The russet-mantled softtail's song is "a short, descending, high-pitched chatter: tchee tchee-tchi-tchi'trrr".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Euschistospiza cinereovinacea
Unusual, very dark twinspot with small and faint “twin spots” on the belly. The red rump is conspicuous in flight. Found in grassy areas along forest edge and in lush cultivation. Not very vocal, but gives quiet twitters and a “tsip” call. Similar in size and overall coloration to Dusky Crimsonwing, but shows red on the flanks and none on the face.
Three-banded Courser
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Elegant, cryptic, long-legged, upland shorebird. Shows a dark upperwing and a largely white underwing in flight. Found in savanna and woodland, including some miombo. Nocturnal species that spends the day roosting under a thick bush. Calls at night with a repeated metallic “chik.” Somewhat similar to Double-banded Courser but is nocturnal and has a more complex and striped head and chest pattern.
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Tiny woodpecker occurring in dense savanna and dry forests. The back is olive-brown, spotted white in some regions, and the breast is white with dense black scales or spots depending on region. The crown is black with white spots; males have a red forehead, black in females. The song is high-pitched trill.
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