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
Other Birds

Buff-throated Warbling Finch
Microspingus lateralis
Medium-sized gray and orange finch from montane forests, including Araucaria forests. Note the black and pale eyebrow. Gray above with a buff throat and breast turning cinnamon on the sides with a white patch on the center of the belly. The call is a fast monotonous repetition of “tseep” notes.

Red-legged Honeycreeper
Cyanerpes cyaneus
Small, warbler-like tanager of tropical lowlands. Favors forest edge, woodland, and semi-open areas with taller trees. Often occurs in small groups, sometimes larger flocks, usually in the canopy of flowering trees, where it probes for nectar with its long bill. Red legs are bright on male, dullest on young birds. Male is blue in breeding plumage, with a turquoise cap; female and non-breeding male are greenish overall with faint streaking on the chest. In flight, the underside of the wings flash bright sulphur-yellow.

Black-faced Canary
Crithagra capistrata
Small seedeater with a conical bill and forked tail. The upperparts are olive-green and the underparts pale yellow. Both sexes have a strong yellow eyebrow. Males have a clean black face patch, and females strong streaking on the underparts. Found in miombo and other moist savanna, forest edge, and cultivation. The song consists of higher introductory notes followed by lower rattling trills. Similar to Western Citril, but has a shorter and less pointed bill. Males also have a slightly larger black face patch that is more cleanly defined, and females have more streaking below.
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