Gray-throated Leaftosser
Sclerurus albigularis
Shy forest denizen, found on the ground. Rummages through leaf litter on the forest floor. Fairly small and plump, with a slightly decurved bill and short tail. Body is warm rufous-brown, which contrasts with the gray throat. Sexes alike. Difficult to see; more often heard: listen for a short series of ascending squeaky whistles, sometimes followed by a more rapid chatter.
Identification
The grey-throated leaftosser is one of the larger members of genus Sclerurus. It is 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 34 to 46 g (1.2 to 1.6 oz). The sexes are alike. The nominate subspecies has a grayish brown face with a somewhat scaly appearance. Its crown and back are rich chestnut-brown and its rump and uppertail coverts are a brighter reddish chestnut. Its flight feathers are rich brown and its tail is dark gray-brown. Its throat is grayish white with a darker lower edge, its breast dark rufous with some pale streaks, its belly dark brown, and its flanks and undertail coverts a richer brown. Its iris is dark brown to brown, its maxilla black to dark gray, its mandible pale grayish white to yellowish (sometimes with a dark tip), and its legs and feed black to brown. Juveniles resemble adults but are overall duller and have some dusky scaling on the throat.<p>Subspecies S. a. propinquus has darker upperparts, breast, and belly than the nominate, and its throat is grayer. S. a. canigularis is generally darker than propinquus but its rufous cast is brighter than on both propinquus and the nominate. S. a. zamorae is generally darker than the nominate, with duller chestnut rump and uppertail coverts, a less whitish chin, and a brighter upper breast. S. a. albicollis has brighter and more rufescent upperparts than the other subspecies; its uppertail coverts are especially rich rufous. It has paler underparts than most others and a white throat. S. a. kempffi is the palest subspecies, with a grayer breast and belly and less reddish upper breast and back than the others. Its rump is the same color as its back. Some authors state that S. a. kunanensis has a somewhat greenish olive belly, some olive on its flight feathers, and a blackish tail but others find no difference between it and the nominate.
Taxonomy
The grey-throated leaftosser's taxonomy is unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and the Clements taxonomy assign it these seven subspecies:<p>BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) does not recognize S. a. kunanensis. That subspecies might not be distinguishable from the nominate S. a. albigularis. <p>The grey-throated and rufous-breasted leaftosser (S. scansor) are sister species.<p>This article follows the seven-subspecies model.
- Scientific name
- Sclerurus albigularis
- Authority
- Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1869
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Furnariidae
- Genus
- Sclerurus
Range and habitat
The grey-throated leaftosser has a disjunct distribution. The subspecies are found thus:<p>The grey-throated leaftosser inhabits evergreen forest, usually in foothills and lower montane areas, though in places it ranges both higher and lower. In the northeastern part of its range it approaches sea level and in Brazil it is strictly in the lowlands. In Costa Rica it occurs between 600 and 1,500 m (2,000 and 4,900 ft) of elevation, in Colombia between 500 and 2,200 m (1,600 and 7,200 ft), and in Ecuador mostly between 1,000 and 1,700 m (3,300 and 5,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Buru Bush Warbler
Locustella disturbans
A sparrow-sized dark warbler with an often scruffy-looking, graduated tail. Has dark chestnut-brown upperparts, a whitish eyebrow, a distinct white throat, and dull grayish underparts. Formerly grouped with Buru Bush Warbler and Seram Bush Warbler under the name “Chestnut-backed Bush Warbler.” A secretive inhabitant of montane and foothill forest, often creeping around on or near the ground. Darker above and dingier below than Gray’s and Middendorff's Grasshopper-Warblers, and also has a clean-cut white throat; almost identical to Sulawesi and Seram Bush Warblers, but ranges do not overlap. Calls include a sharp metallic “chit” and a drawn-out, wavering buzzy note, “tzeeoooreee.” There is some variation in songs, which usually comprise three high-pitched buzzing notes, “tzeeee-tzeee-tzeee,” higher-pitched on the final note. Song includes a high, liquid-sounding “tzi-tzee”, as well as a longer, more repetitive “tzi-tzee, tzi-tzee, tzi-tzee.”
White-edged Oriole
Icterus graceannae
Bright orange-and-black bird found in dry forest in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. The only other oriole in its range is Yellow-tailed Oriole; White-edged lacks yellow on the underside of the tail, has more extensive white in the wing, and is usually (but not always) a deeper orange color. Juveniles are duller and less orange. Forages conspicuously in the trees, and even visits feeders in some areas.
Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant
Pogonotriccus lanyoni
Rare flycatcher known only from a few sites in the Colombian Andes, mainly in the northern part of the central range. It is fairly small and mostly yellow, with a gray crown and broad, yellow wingbars. Yellow and gray smudges on ears can be very indistinct. Often confused with the much more common Yellow-olive Flycatcher, but bill is narrower, wingbars are brighter yellow, and voice is different. Typical song is a short burst that starts off as a dry rattle and then morphs into airy squeaking. Inhabits humid forest and sometimes joins mixed species flocks.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.