Orinoco Softtail
Thripophaga cherriei
Distinctive rounded-tailed rufous-brown bird of riverine habitats. Narrow buffy eyebrow and buffy streaks on cheeks and breast. Upperparts rufous-brown and underparts olive-brown; rich chestnut in chin, wings, rump, and tail. Rare, usually in pairs, found from understory to mid-level in riverine forest in very restricted range. Voice consists of repeated “CHEUP” notes, mostly in duet. Similar to Delta Amacuro Softtail (no range overlap), which is more streaked (including the head) and lacks buff eyebrow; Speckled Spinetail has a buffy (not orange) chin, paler head and breast with dark speckling, and a rufoud cap. Endemic to the Orinoco River and nearby tributaries in southwestern Venezuela and eastern Colombia.
Identification
The Orinoco softtail is 15.5 to 17.5 cm (6.1 to 6.9 in) long. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a faint buff or whitish supercilium on a otherwise buff-streaked brownish face. Their forehead is brown with buff streaks and their crown medium brown with some faint yellowish spots. Their back is rufescent brown with a faint olive cast, their rump rufescent, and their uppertail coverts reddish chestnut. Their tail is dark rufous to reddish chestnut. Their wings are mostly dark rufous chestnut with rufous-cinnamon at the base of the flight feathers. Their chin is a conspicuous tawny orange and their upper throat chestnut rufous. Their lower throat, neck, and breast are raw umber brown or olive brown with sharp buff streaks. Their belly is paler brown and their undertail coverts reddish rufous or ferruginous. Their iris is dark red, their bill gray to blackish, and their legs and feet dull pinkish olive.
Taxonomy
The Orinoco softtail is monotypic.<p>The Orinoco softtail's specific epithet honors George Kruck Cherrie, who collected the first two specimens in 1899 on the Orinoco River in Venezuela.
- Scientific name
- Thripophaga cherriei
- Authority
- Berlepsch & Hartert, EJO, 1902
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Furnariidae
- Genus
- Thripophaga
Range and habitat
The Orinoco softtail was long thought to be endemic to the area in south-central Venezuela where it was first collected. As of mid-2023, the International Ornithological Committee still lists it that way. However, in 2012 it was confirmed to be present in Colombia, in the departments of Guainía and Vichada adjacent to Venezuela. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society, the Clements taxonomy, and BirdLife International list it as present in both countries. The full extent of its range has not been determined.<p>The Orinoco softtail inhabits the dense understory along watercourses in várzea forest. Vines and bamboo are important components of its habitat. It has a very small elevational range of between about 120 and 150 m (400 and 500 ft) above sea level.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Orinoco softtail is thought to be a year-round resident.<p>The Orinoco softtail's diet has not been described. The one observation of a feeding bird described it foraging in dead leaves and on vines in the forest understory. It has been observed in mixed-species foraging flocks. Nothing else is known about its feeding behavior.<p>The Orinoco softtail's breeding season had not been defined, but nest building has been documented in early March (early stages) and late November (near completion). The nests were bundles of sticks, rootlets, dead leaves, and other plant material suspended from a branch. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.<p>The Orinoco sofftail's song "consists of 2‒4 nasal notes followed by a rattled series of short notes at a pace of about 15‒20 notes/second". It is typically sung in early morning and often in duet. The species' calls include a "strident grating scolding chrr", a nasal "chi-tew", and "short chik and very faint chup notes".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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