Andean Negrito
Lessonia oreas
Tiny little terrestrial flycatcher, fairly common locally in open habitats of the high Andes, especially bogs and lakeshores. Feeds mainly by hopping on the ground, but perches readily on posts and fences. No similar species in range: male is black with a bright rusty back; female is dark sooty brown with a dull rusty back. In flight both sexes show whitish flash in wings (absent in Austral Negrito, which occurs in lowlands to the south).
Identification
The Andean negrito is around 12.5 cm (4.9 in) long, with males being slightly larger. It is sexually dimorphic in its plumage; males having black plumage with a rufous back and silvery-white flight feathers (that are only noticeable in flight). The female has a rufous back as well but the undersides and head are sooty and the upperparts are blackish brown. The throat is whitish and the breast tinged with dull rufous. The species has exceptionally long hindclaws, like those of a pipit.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Lessonia oreas
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1869)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Lessonia
Range and habitat
The Andean negrito ranges through the mountainous regions of central Peru south into western Bolivia, down into north eastern Chile and northern Argentina. It is most commonly found between 3,000 and 4,000 m (9,800 and 13,100 ft) above sea level, but may go higher in Peru or drop down to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in Chile. It lives around lakes, streams and bogs and in seasonally flooded plains, in areas with low ground cover. The species is non-migratory.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
The Andean negrito is a terrestrial insect hunter that is found in pairs or small family groups. It often perches on elevated tussocks or rocks to watch for prey. Prey is either sallied after on the wing from on or close to the ground, or chased after on foot.<p>Little is known about its breeding behaviour. In Chile it breeds between October and January. Males perform a fluttering display flight that goes 10–15 m (33–49 ft) in the air. Nests are simple cups hidden inside tussock grass, into which 3–4 eggs are laid.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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A large, crested woodpecker with a golden back found in wet tropical and subtropical forests across South and Southeast Asia. Separated from Common Flameback and other “small-billed” flamebacks by a much larger bill, a mottled black-and-white nape instead of a black nape, and a divided black horizontal stripe below the cheek. Separated from the similarly large-billed White-naped Woodpecker by a red rump, the lack of a clean white nape, and a preference for wetter habitat. Greater Flameback is a loose participant in mixed-species foraging flocks, often detected by its loud, high-pitched trill similar to that of Common Flameback.
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Small, long-legged owl of open grassy habitats. Appears brown at a distance with irregular white spotting. Yellow eyes. Typically found on the ground or perched on low fence posts or rocks. Active during day and night when it hunts mainly for insects and small mammals. When agitated, it stands erect and abruptly bows down. Nests in a burrow, often dug by a prairie dog or tortoise.
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