Canyon Canastero
Asthenes pudibunda
Fairly common but local and easily overlooked in the Andes, mainly in canyons and on rocky slopes with fairly dense bushes and scrub. Usually rather skulking; keeps low in bushes and creeps in vegetation, but often sings from atop a bush. Plumage rather plain but relatively dark brownish above with chestnut wings and a dark-centered chestnut tail. Compare with Cordilleran Canastero, of more open habitats; also note differences in song and calls.
Identification
The canyon canastero is 15 to 17 cm (5.9 to 6.7 in) long and weighs 13 to 17 g (0.46 to 0.60 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a thin buff supercilium and dark brownish lores on an otherwise gray-brown face. Their crown is warm dark brown and their back and rump a slightly paler brown. Their wings are dull reddish brown. Their uppertail coverts are chestnut-rufous and their tail a more rufous brown than the back. Their chin and upper throat are pale tawny-orange, their lower throat and upper breast light gray-brown with faint paler streaks, their lower breast and belly unstreaked pale gray-brown, and their flanks and undertail coverts dull rufescent brown. Their iris is brown, their maxilla black to dark horn, their mandible gray to pinkish horn with a blackish tip, and their legs and feet gray to blackish. Juveniles' chin and throat are light gray-brown, their breast has faint dark bars, and their underparts have a brownish wash. Subspecies A. p. neglecta has a darker back than the nominate, a more chestnut chin and throat, and darker and browner underparts. A. p. grisior is paler than the nominate with slightly grayer underparts and slightly less rufescent flanks.
Taxonomy
The canyon canastero has three subspecies, the nominate A. p. pudibunda (Sclater, 1874), A. p. neglecta (Cory, 1916), and A. p. grisior (Koepcke, M., 1961). Some authors have treated the rusty-fronted canastero (A. ottonis) and maquis canastero (A. heterura) as subspecies of the canyon canastero and others have treated the three as a superspecies. However, genetic data show that the canyon canastero is most closely related to the Vilcabamba thistletail (A. vilcabambae).
- Scientific name
- Asthenes pudibunda
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL, 1874)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Furnariidae
- Genus
- Asthenes
Range and habitat
The canyon canastero is a bird of the western slope of the Andes. Subspecies A. p. neglecta is the northernmost; it is found in the northwestern Peruvian departments of La Libertad and Ancash. The nominate subspecies is found in the western Peruvian Department of Lima. A. p. grisior is found from the Department of Huancavelica in southwestern Peru south into Chile as far as the Tarapacá Region. The species primarily inhabits rocky areas in arid montane scrublands, often in ravines, and occasionally occurs in Polylepis woodland. In elevation it mostly ranges between 2,400 and 3,700 m (7,900 and 12,100 ft) but is found as high as 4,000 m (13,000 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The canyon canastero is a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The canyon canastero feeds on arthropods. It usually forages singly or in pairs, gleaning prey from low branches and the ground, usually in areas shaded by rocks or bushes.<p>The canyon canastero's breeding season has not been definded but includes May. Nothing else is known about its breeding biology.<p>The canyon canastero's song is "a loud, accelerating trill with a few introductory notes". Its call is a repeated "kee-whit".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Palau Swiftlet
Aerodramus pelewensis
A small, mostly uniformly light brown swiftlet with a slightly darker cap, a cinnamon-tinged throat, and a lightly forked tail. Occurs on larger islands, especially over highland ridges and gorges. Similar to Mariana Swiftlet but much paler, and differs from all other Micronesian swiftlets in its pale rump. Calls are primarily a series of insect-like buzzing and chirping.
Blue-winged Macaw
Primolius maracana
Fairly small macaw with a bare white face that contrasts with its dark bill. It has a small red forehead, which can be quite difficult to see, a blue crown, and a red belly. The flight feathers are striking blue. Usually seen in pairs or small groups at forest edges, palm groves, and open woodlands. The flight call is a mellow “graaaa.”
White-tailed Tyrannulet
Mecocerculus poecilocercus
A small, pale, and active tyrannulet with a small bill. No bright colors; look for bold white eyebrow, pale yellowish rump, and two off-white wingbars. Tends to perch horizontally, often with its tail cocked up slightly. Flits actively, usually in the canopy and often part of a mixed-species flock. Occurs in cloud forest and edges from Colombia to Peru, from around 1,500 to 2,500 m. Similar to White-banded Tyrannulet, but smaller and found at lower elevations; also note White-banded’s thicker white eyebrow, gleaming white wingbars, and generally more contrasting plumage than White-tailed. Often detected by series of three or four squeaky “psee” notes coming from a canopy flock.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.