Equatorial Antpitta
Grallaria saturata
Plump, short-tailed, and long-legged bird found in Andean cloud forest in Ecuador, northern Peru, and the central Andes of Colombia; also known from one site in Colombia’s eastern Andes. Plumage is chestnut-brown with a slightly paler belly. Smaller and plainer than other highland antpittas in its range. Stays low inside high elevation cloud forest and heard far more often than seen. Songs include a short, whistled “wit, wi-di-dit” and a descending trill. Formerly called Rufous Antpitta.
Identification
The equatorial antpitta (Grallaria saturata) is a species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is found is Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Taxonomy
The Equatorial antpitta was described as a subspecies of rufous antpitta in 1918, but was later considered to be conspecific with the rufous antpitta. However, in 2020 a study resurrected the synonymized subspecies and promoted it to species rank using genetic evidence and analysis of vocalizations.<p>The Equatorial antpitta is named for its distribution around the Equator.
- Scientific name
- Grallaria saturata
- Authority
- Domaniewski & Stolzmann, 1918
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Grallariidae
- Genus
- Grallaria
Range and habitat
The Equatorial antpitta is found in two disjunct regions of northwestern South America separated by Colombian massif. The northern population is found in the central Colombian Andes east of the Cauca river, and further east to Iguaque Massif. The southern population is found in the central Andes from Colombia, through Ecuador and into the Peruvian departments of Cajamarca and Piura. It inhabits humid montane forests and forest edges and prefers the understory or forest floor. It is found in several protected areas including Podocarpus National Park and Tabaconas Nambelle National Sanctuary, both in Ecuador.<p>The Equatorial antpitta is separated from the closely related Cajamarca antpitta by the Huancabamba and Marañón rivers, and from the Chamí antpitta by the Cauca River Valley. The population in the Iguaque Massif Andes spur are separated from the Muisca antpitta by the Magdalena River Valley.<p>The Equatorial antpitta is the most widely distributed of the 12 members of the rufous antpitta complex.
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Russet-naped Wood-Rail
Aramides albiventris
Large, brightly colored, chicken-like rail of freshwater marshes and damp woodland, less often occurs in mangroves. Unlike many rails, can be conspicuous, even bold, walking in the open along the edge of ponds and rivers, twitching its short black tail; usually seen singly or in pairs. Note long yellowish bill, hot-pink legs, and gray head and neck contrasting with orangey breast. Similar to Gray-cowled Wood-Rail, but barely any range overlap, and Russet-naped has a bright reddish-brown patch on the back of the head.
Greater Scythebill
Drymotoxeres pucheranii
Bulky woodcreeper with a stout, deeply curved bill. Very rare in tall, wet Andean cloud forest. Brown with buffy streaks on head, neck, and underparts. Dual white stripes on face and thicker bill distinguish it from Brown-billed Scythebill. Usually found alone, sometimes with mixed-species flocks; probes for insects while creeping along moss-covered trunks and branches. Gives a variety of nasal, whiny-sounding squeaks.
Lesser Prairie-Chicken
Tympanuchus pallidicinctus
Plump chickenlike bird found in grasslands. Body and wings entirely barred brown with paler buffy throat. In spring, males gather at display site and perform dance to attract females: look for them hunched over with ear-like feathers protruding from atop head and darker reddish-orange skin exposed on the neck. Inconspicuous and difficult to find away from display sites. Very similar to Greater Prairie-Chicken but no range overlap. Averages slightly paler and smaller than Greater.
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