Perija Thistletail
Asthenes perijana
A gray and brown bird with a long, wispy tail restricted to the Perijá Mountains along the Colombia-Venezuela border. Separated from Streak-backed Canastero by having a plain back, no orange chin patch, and a longer tail with thinner feathers. Inhabits dense thickets at high elevations near and above tree line. Gives a series of piping notes that quickly rises in pitch and then speeds up into a trill.
Identification
The Perija thistletail is 19 to 22 cm (7.5 to 8.7 in) long and weighs 16 to 21 g (0.56 to 0.74 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a faint grayish supercilium. Their crown, back, rump, and tail are grayish olive-brown. Their wings are grayish olive-brown with chestnut on the coverts and the base of the flight feathers. Their tail is long and deeply forked with few barbs at the feather ends that give a ragged appearance. Their chin has a cinnamon-buff patch. Their throat and the rest of their underparts are brownish gray. Their iris is reddish brown, their maxilla black, their mandible grayish with a black tip, and their legs and feet gray.
Taxonomy
The Perija thistletail was long treated as a subspecies of the white-chinned thistletail (then Schizoeaca fuliginosa, now Asthenes fuliginosa) but was eventually separated as a species. They and several other species were in genus Schizoeaca but genetic data showed that the genus is embedded within Asthenes. The Perija thistletail is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Asthenes perijana
- Authority
- (Phelps, WH Jr, 1977)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Furnariidae
- Genus
- Asthenes
Range and habitat
The Perija thistletail is found only in the Serranía del Perijá, a mountain range that straddles the border between northeastern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela. It primarily inhabits páramo grasslands, the upper edge of cloudforest, and dense undergrowth at tree line. In elevation it ranges between 2,950 and 3,400 m (9,700 and 11,200 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Perija thistletail is believed to be a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The Perija thistletail feeds mostly on arthropods and occasionally adds berries to its diet. It forages in the undergrowth, usually singly or in pairs. It is believed to forage by gleaning prey from foliage and branches.<p>The Perija thistletail's breeding season has not been defined but includes July. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.<p>The Perija thistletail's song is "some 3-5 drawn out high-pitched 'pee' notes followed by a short descending dry trill".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Camaroptera harterti
A small, chunky, wren-like understory warbler that often leans forward and cocks its short tail. This species has brown eyes, olive-green wings and tail, and white underparts. Found in evergreen forest understory, plantation, and thickets along the Angolan escarpment. Usually in pairs, hopping about, often low to the ground, searching for small insects. The two common vocalizations are a nasal “meehrrp” alarm call and a strident repeated snapping “strik-strik-strik-strik-strik” song. Very similar to Green-backed Camaroptera, but tail is brighter green, rather than gray or gray-green, and underparts are cleaner white, rather than grayish, especially on the breast.
Violet-breasted Sunbird
Cinnyris chalcomelas
Male is iridescent-green above, with a dark belly and a purple band across the breast. Female is nondescript, with a pale eyebrow and blurry streaking across the pale yellowish underparts. Found locally in coastal thornscrub. Very similar to Tsavo Sunbird, but slightly larger and longer-billed, and male Violet-breasted has a broader purple breast band. Also similar to Purple-banded Sunbird, but the male is distinguished by the lack of a maroon band across the underparts. Gives “tsik” calls; song is a high-pitched jumble.
Schneider's Pitta
Hydrornis schneideri
Large-headed and long-legged, this rare and rotund Sumatran endemic is found only in foothill forests between 900 to 2400 meters (typically in the upper half), where it is most easily detected by its strange song, a spaceship-like “oowOOOOwooWOOH.” Male has a sky-blue back and incomplete black collar, while the female has a dull brownish back and a dull blue tail. Both sexes have a rich cinnamon crown and nape, as well as a dark line extending behind the eye. Juvenile is strange-looking, with white spots on the crown, wings, and breast. Forages quietly on the forest floor, either singly or in pairs.
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