Rufous-margined Antwren
Herpsilochmus rufimarginatus
A small antwren with a relatively long tail and bill. Restricted to southeastern Brazil. Bright plumage for an antwren: look for its yellow belly, rufous wings, bold white wingbars, and dark eyeline. Sexes are similar, but female has a rufous cap, which is black on male. Most often seen in pairs, foraging in the low to middle levels of lowland and foothill forest. Frequently follows mixed-species flocks. Listen for a descending trill, fastest in the middle, with a piping quality.
Identification
The rufous-margined antwren is 10 to 12.5 cm (3.9 to 4.9 in) long. Adult males have a black crown and nape, a wide whitish supercilium, a black stripe through the eye, and black and white or pale yellow mottled ear coverts. Their upperparts are mostly olive-gray with scattered black patches, yellow uppertail coverts, and white tips on their outer scapulars. Their wing coverts are black with white tips; their flight feathers are olive-brown tinged dark gray with bright cinnamon-rufous edges. Their tail is mostly dark gray with white tips on the feathers and an entirely white outermost pair. Their throat and underparts are light yellow with an olive tinge on the sides. Adult females have a rufous forehead, a rufous-brown crown, and an olive-brown back. Their wings, tail, and underparts are like the male's.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Herpsilochmus rufimarginatus
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1822)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thamnophilidae
- Genus
- Herpsilochmus
Range and habitat
The rufous-margined antwren has a disjunct distribution. A small population is found north of the Rio São Francisco in Brazil's Pernambuco state. The other population is found from Bahia in southeastern Brazil south into Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. It primarily inhabits the interior of humid evergreen Atlantic Forest, less often its edges, and locally in restinga woodlands on white-sand soils. It typically is found from the forest's mid-storey to its subcanopy and favors dense vine tangles. In elevation it ranges from sea level to about 1,100 m (3,600 ft).
- Breeding range
- SA : e, se Brazil, e Paraguay and ne Argentina
- Non-breeding range
- ENG
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The rufous-margined antwren is thought to be a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The rufous-margined antwren's diet has not been detailed, but is known to be primarily insects and also includes spiders. It has also been seen feeding on Rapanea mistletoe berries. It forages actively and methodically, and usually captures prey by gleaning from leaves, stems, and vines by reaching and sometimes lunging from a perch. It occasionally makes short sallies to glean from the underside of leaves. It is not known to follow army ant swarms.<p>Nothing is known about the rufous-margined antwren's breeding biology.<p>The rufous-margined antwren's song is "3‒4 slow-paced notes which rise in frequency, after which a series of fast notes gradually decelerates and drops again in pitch". Pairs often sing in duet. Its most common call is a "melodious whistled note tew" that may be repeated up to five times in a burst or irregularly over a longer period. It also makes a "short trill of short overslurred notes at flat pitch". The species is vocal year-round, usually singing during the day and from the forest canopy.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Gray-breasted Spurfowl
Pternistis rufopictus
A large gray-and-brown francolin with bare red skin on the throat and around the eyes. Also note the red bill, the dark gray legs, and the chestnut, buff, and black markings along the sides of the belly. Pale patches in the outer wings are conspicuous in flight. Found in fairly dry thorn savanna, woodland, and thickets, usually in pairs or small groups. Similar to Red-necked Francolin, but there is little overlap in range, and separated by the brown legs and many plumage details. Also similar to Yellow-necked Francolin, but easily separated by the red or sometimes orange (rather than yellow) throat. The call is a fading series of grating “kreaaak” notes.
Pemba Green-Pigeon
Treron pembaensis
A medium-sized, chunky pigeon that has an olive-green back and a gray head and underparts. Flight is fast and direct. Sometimes seen alone, though more often in small groups. Found in forest, forest edge, plantations, and villages, often around fruiting trees. Similar to other green-pigeons, but easily separated by range, as it is the only green-pigeon on the island of Pemba. Voice is a quiet but maniacal series of sputters, whistles, and cackles.
Ash-colored Cuckoo
Coccycua cinerea
Nondescript and retiring cuckoo with a pale ashy-brown back and pale underparts. Note the thin white tail tips and red eyering and iris. An austral migrant. Usually found in dry woodlands, scrub, savannas, gallery forests, and also in the borders of humid moist forests in the nonbreeding season. The song is a series of “cow-w cow-w cow cow” notes.
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