Rufous Cacholote
Pseudoseisura unirufa
Large cinnamon-colored ovenbird with piercing yellow eyes and a long gray crest. Found in gallery forest, near marshes and woodlands; often near human habitations. Mostly forages on the ground, but also in trees; builds a large stick nest. Song is a loud duet: an accelerating series ending with a rattle mixed with “chew” notes.
Identification
The grey-crested cacholote is 20 to 21 cm (7.9 to 8.3 in) long and weighs 42 to 57 g (1.5 to 2.0 oz). It is a large, crested, furnariid. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults are mostly bright reddish-rufous that is somewhat paler on their underparts. Their crest varies from entirely rufous to almost entirely grayish. The center of their throat has an orange tinge. Their flight feathers have fuscous tips and the ends of the tail feathers lack barbs. Their iris is yellow to buff-yellow, their bill blue-gray to gray with a paler mandible, and their legs and feet olive to greenish gray. Juveniles have a shorter crest than adults and less uniformity in their color. The formerly conspecific Caatinga cacholote is similar but larger and has no gray in its crown.
Taxonomy
The grey-crested cacholote is monotypic. It was previously considered a subspecies of the Caatinga cacholote (P. cristata) which was then called the rufous cacholote. The two taxa were split following the data in a paper published in 2000. Confusingly, and contrary to the suggestion of the 2000 paper's authors, the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society, the Clements taxonomy, and some field guide authors call P. unirufa the rufous cacholote.
- Scientific name
- Pseudoseisura unirufa
- Authority
- (d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1838)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Furnariidae
- Genus
- Pseudoseisura
Range and habitat
The grey-crested cacholote has a disjunct distribution. One population is found in Beni Department and extreme northwestern Santa Cruz Department of north-central Bolivia. The other is found in southeastern Santa Cruz, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul states in Brazil, and in northern Paraguay. The species inhabits gallery forest, woodlands, and seasonally flooded savanna within the Pantanal, and is often found near human dwellings. In elevation it ranges between 300 and 500 m (1,000 and 1,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The gray-crested cacholote is a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The grey-crested cacholote's diet and feeding behavior are poorly known. It probably feeds mostly on arthropods with some fruit and seeds. It usually forages in pairs and usually on the ground, where it gleans, probes, and digs for its prey.<p>The grey-crested cacholote is thought to be monogamous and to breed in the austral spring and summer. Its nest is a mass of sticks and branches that is typically twice as long as it is wide, with feathers, shells, bones, and other items incorporated, and placed in a tree about 4 or 5 m (10 or 20 ft) above the ground. An entrance tunnel near its bottom leads to an inner chamber lined with pieces of bark and snake skin. The clutch size, incubation period, time to fledging, and details of parental care are not known.<p>The grey-crested cacholote usually sings in duet, "sustained, loud, accelerating, slightly descending 'chew' notes mixed with chattering and rattles, finishing with combined cackling". The species' call is "a single 'chuk' ".
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Parasitic Weaver
Anomalospiza imberbis
Odd little short-tailed and chunky-billed member of the indigobird family. The male is yellow, with dark wings and tail, while the female is brown and streaky on the back and buff on the face and underparts. Found in moist grassland and open savanna. Uncommon across its range. Indistinct song consists of short, rasping phrases. Male could be confused with canaries but has an all-black bill. Female resembles female bishops but has a shorter and thicker all-black bill.
Chestnut-vented Warbler
Curruca subcoerulea
Distinctive gray bird with a pale eye, streaked throat, rufous vent, and large white patches on the tail. Found in a variety of habitats with thick shrubs, including fynbos, karoo, semi-desert, and savanna. A fairly skulking species that is usually detected by voice: an exuberant mixture of ratcheting notes, chatters, and whistles. Similar to Layard’s Warbler, but easily distinguished by rufous vent and more heavily streaked throat.
Gray-headed Tody-Flycatcher
Todirostrum poliocephalum
Tiny brightly-colored flycatcher with a fairly long pointed bill and an ample slender tail. Note the largely black head apart from a large yellow spot in front of the pale eye. Olive above and bright yellow below; the black wings are yellow edged . Similar to Common Tody-Flycatcher, but with yellow spots on the face. Found at the edge of forests, second growth, and in gardens and urban parks. The song is a sharp “tchip-tchip-tchip.”
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.