Crested Gallito
Rhinocrypta lanceolata
Striking, mostly terrestrial thrush-sized bird of thorn scrub in the Chaco bioregion, from central Argentina to SE Bolivia. Plain grayish-brown plumage with rufous flanks and streaked crest distinctive. Generally solitary or in pairs.
Identification
The crested gallito is 21 cm (8.3 in) long. The male weighs 59 to 63.5 g (2.08 to 2.24 oz) and the female 51.5 to 64 g (1.82 to 2.26 oz). It is an unusual tapaculo, having long crown feathers that it often erects as a crest and even bends forward. It also has a long tail that it cocks upward. The nominate subspecies' head is cinnamon with white streaks, its upper parts including wings and tail olive gray. The throat and chest are pale gray, the sides of the breast chestnut, and the lower belly olive gray. R. l. saturata is similar but all of the colors are darker.
Taxonomy
The crested gallito is the only species in its genus. Two subspecies are recognized, the nominate Rhinocrypta lanceolata lanceolata and R. l. saturata, which was described in 1939. The crested gallito is genetically most closely related to the sandy gallito (Teledromas fuscus).
- Scientific name
- Rhinocrypta lanceolata
- Authority
- (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I, 1832)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Rhinocryptidae
- Genus
- Rhinocrypta
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of crested gallito ranges from northern Argentina through the central part of the country south to northern Río Negro Province and southern Buenos Aires Province. R. l. saturata is found in southeastern Bolivia and western Paraguay.<p>The crested gallito inhabits Chaco forest from sea level to 1,800 m (5,900 ft), though R. l. saturata is found only in the lower elevations. It frequents thorny brush and undergrowth.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The crested gallito forages on the ground or through low branches for arthropods.<p>The crested gallito's nest is a ball of grass and other materials lined with hair or wool placed 1 to 2 m (3.3 to 6.6 ft) up in a dense bush or small tree. Up to three eggs are laid, usually between September and December. Both sexes incubate. Shiny cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis) are known to parasitize the nest.<p>The crested gallito sings only during the breeding season, with "a loud, resonant, 'chirrup'...at intervals of 2-4 seconds." [1]. The call is "a trilled 'wheer'" [2].
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
White-throated Flowerpecker
Pachyglossa vincens
A small, stub-tailed, thick-billed songbird, with dark upperparts, white throat, and yellow on the underside. Males are dark, blackish-blue above, while the duller females are gray on the upperside. Usually in pairs, within the treetops of wet forest and adjoining areas. The only similar species would be female sunbirds, which can be eliminated on bill shape; White-throated Flowerpecker possesses a stubby bill. Song is a series of ascending high notes, and call is a single very high-pitched “whit” note.
Rufous-collared Robin
Turdus rufitorques
Large, bulky thrush of highlands south of Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Found in pine-oak forest, adjacent farmland, and villages. Feeds on the ground in fields and also in fruiting trees and bushes. Often perches atop exposed tall standing dead trees early and late in the day. Male striking and unmistakable, if seen well. Female and immature male are paler and browner overall, with subdued rusty collar and breast. Some immature females have almost no rusty, but note yellow bill and legs and white streaks on feathers under base of tail.
Inland Thornbill
Acanthiza apicalis
Small bird with thin pointed bill. Upperparts gray-brown, underparts off-white, with dark streaking on throat and breast, reddish-brown rump, white flecking on forecrown, and dark red eye. Often cocks tail upright. Similar Brown Thornbill has brown rather than gray-brown upperparts. Chestnut-rumped and Buff-rumped thornbills both have pale eyes, unstreaked chest, and mostly black tails. Inhabits dry woodland and scrubland, also in wetter habitats in southwestern edges of its range.
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