Ceara Gnateater
Conopophaga cearae
Plump rufous bird with a whitish belly and long legs. Males have a narrow white tuft behind the eye that can be erected when excited. In females, this is orange-gray. Has a small range in evergreen forest and coastal forest, where it forages in the understory. The song is a series of whistled notes that gradually become louder. The call is a sharp “tcheek!”
Identification
Plump rufous bird with a whitish belly and long legs. Males have a narrow white tuft behind the eye that can be erected when excited. In females, this is orange-gray. Has a small range in evergreen forest and coastal forest, where it forages in the understory. The song is a series of whistled notes that gradually become louder. The call is a sharp “tcheek!”
Taxonomy
Genus: Conopophaga; Family: Conopophagidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Conopophaga cearae
- Authority
- Cory, 1916
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Conopophagidae
- Genus
- Conopophaga
Range and habitat
Ceará gnateaters are endemic to a small region in northeastern Brazil with upland evergreen forest. They can be found in these Brazilian states: Ceará, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio Grande Do Norte, and Alagoas. They are predominantly found in dense understory where they nest and forage.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Highly migratory flycatcher that breeds in central Argentina from around September through March, then disperses north to Bolivia and Paraguay, and occasionally wanders even farther. Male is glossy black with a silvery, black-tipped bill. He has a white on the underside of the wing that is usually hidden while perched. Female is brown and buff with white wingbars, cinnamon rump and tail base, and faint mottling on the breast. Very similar to White-winged Black-Tyrant; female is paler on the breast and belly, but males are virtually indistinguishable in the field. Inhabits stunted forest, scrub, and overgrown clearings.
Black-hooded Thrush
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Medium-sized thrush of montane forests. Looks large and bulky compared to other thrushes in range; note male’s distinctive black head contrasting with brownish-olive body and yellow bill and legs. Female is similarly patterned but much duller. Found in highland forest and second growth, generally above 800 meters, where it is often the most common thrush. Most reliably seen at fruiting trees, where many individuals may congregate; also often seen at middle levels of forest, where it may take conspicuous perches to assess an observer before flying off. Song is a halting series of phrases, many of them doublets, generally alternating between rich, low notes and high reedy ones; call note is a rich, liquid bark. Male is unlikely to be confused with other species; female could be confused with female Pale-eyed Thrush but is larger, has darker eyes with distinct eyering and a semblance of male’s hooded look.
Red-chested Cuckoo
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A mostly grayish cuckoo with banding below, including a broad rusty band across the upper breast. The immature has barred underparts and a charcoal back, throat, and breast. It can be very secretive, and when it flies fast on pointed wings, it strongly resembles a small goshawk. Its brood-parasite hosts include wagtails, robin-chats, and thrushes. Resident and (in the southern parts of its range) migrant. Its presence is most often evidenced by its incessant and loud three-note “Pete-my-wife” song.
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