Stresemann's Bristlefront

Merulaxis stresemanni

Teetering on the brink of extinction. Fairly large tapaculo with a long tail and a crested forehead. Males are uniform slaty-black and females are dark brown above and rusty below. The song is a descending series that starts slowly and accelerates towards the end. Occurs in a few disparate patches of humid forest and forest edge, where it forages on the ground. The similar Slaty Bristlefront has brown on the rear of the body, and females have darker underparts; the song of Slaty is lower in pitch.

Identification

Stresemann's bristlefront is a medium-sized, long-tailed bird with distinctive forehead bristles. It measures 20 cm (7.9 in) long. The male is all slaty gray with a dark rufous-chestnut rump, uppertail-coverts, and vent. The namesake features are long, pointed bristles on the forehead. The female is cinnamon-brown above, with a duskier tail, and is bright cinnamon below.

Taxonomy

Stresemann's bristlefront and the slaty bristlefront (Merulaxis ater) form a superspecies, and the two might actually be one species. It has no subspecies. It is known only from three specimens and a few photographs, audio recordings, and sight records.

Scientific name
Merulaxis stresemanni
Authority
Sick, 1960
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Rhinocryptidae
Genus
Merulaxis

Range and habitat

Stresemann's bristlefront's natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss, and the Mata do Passarinho Reserve is the last known area to house Stresemann's bristlefront. The Atlantic forest reserve is in the states of Minas Gerais and Bahia and contains primary forest as well as secondary forest, and is an island of forest surrounded by farmland.

Migration
Resident species

Behavior

Migration pattern: Resident species.

Conservation

Population trend: declining.

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

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