Zimmer's Antbird
Sciaphylax castanea
Scarce antbird found in rainforest understory in lowland and foothills of eastern Ecuador, northeastern Peru, and southern Colombia. Male is brown with a gray head, black breast, whitish belly, chestnut tail, and buffy wingbars; white patch on the back is usually concealed. Female’s breast is chestnut instead of black. Very similar to Chestnut-tailed Antbird, but note range and voice. Song is an accelerating, rising series of whistles; it sometimes falls in pitch near the end.
Identification
Sciaphylax castanea is 11–12 cm in length and weighs 16–17 grams. It is similar to its congener Sciaphylax hemimelaena, but differentiated by their vocalisations. The tail is short. The male has a dark gray head and neck and reddish-brown upper parts, the wing coverts are blackish with white or yellowish-brown tips, the tail is rufous-brown; the throat and breast are black with gray and brown on the sides and flanks, the midribs are white. The female is similar to the male, but paler; the throat and breast are chestnut to rufous orange, the belly is white tinged with yellowish brown.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Sciaphylax castanea
- Authority
- (Zimmer, JT, 1932)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thamnophilidae
- Genus
- Sciaphylax
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Dot-eared Coquette
Lophornis gouldii
Tiny charismatic hummingbird. Note the male’s white cheeks tufts with green spots. Females have a rusty throat bordered below by a white-spotted green band. Probably rare but certainly difficult to find at the edge of humid forests and more wooded savannas. Males of other coquettes within its range have different cheek tuft patterns, while females don't have the rusty throat.
Hooded Tinamou
Nothocercus nigrocapillus
Fairly large, terrestrial bird of Andean cloud forest. It has a gray head, a white throat, white speckling on the wings, and faint barring on the belly. Similar to White-throated Tinamou, but Hooded has a grayer head, a less mottled neck, and a different voice, and is found at higher elevations. Very shy and solitary, heard far more often than seen; song is a nasal “ow” repeated every few seconds.
Golden-breasted Puffleg
Eriocnemis mosquera
A fairly large hummingbird of high-elevation forest in the Andes in Colombia and Ecuador. Mostly green with an obvious golden sheen on the breast and white puffs on each leg. Long forked tail is greenish-bronze (not blackish or bluish). Sexes alike. Occurs from around 3,000–3,600 m, where it can be found in forest and edges. Visits feeders.
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