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
Groundscraper Thrush
Turdus litsitsirupa
A tall, bold, long-legged, short-tailed thrush with gray-brown upperparts, heavily spotted white underparts, and a strongly marked face. In flight, shows distinctive large buff patches in the broad wings. Pairs and small groups occupy moorland, grassland, and open woodland, favoring heavily grazed and burned areas. Runs long distances on the ground hunting invertebrates, stopping bolt upright and flicking its wings. The song is a grating, unmelodic “lit-sit-siru-pa.” The call is a rattle of variable speed.
Black-faced Firefinch
Lagonosticta larvata
An unusual and distinctive firefinch with very different male and female plumages. Males have a black face, while the color of the underparts varies geographically from pale gray to pale pink to rosy red. Females are mostly gray-brown with a reddish tint to the underparts and a pale undertail. Generally uncommon in woodland, grassland, and thickets, often near water. Sometimes mixes with other waxbills. The female is similar to other female firefinches, but is separated by its combination of a pale undertail and dark bill. The common calls are soft, repeated whistles.
Yellow-browed Antbird
Hypocnemis hypoxantha
Rather small antbird with a disjunct distribution. Males have a yellow face and underparts with a black crown, eye-line, and streaks on the breast. Females have a yellow streaked crown. Southeastern subspecies has ochraceous lower underparts. Song is a descending and decelerating series of fluted notes becoming harsher at the end. Found in the understory of humid forests, often in areas of transitional forest or poor soils. Rarely accompanies mixed-species flocks. The similar Spix's and Peruvian Warbling-Antbirds have white breasts, and the song of Peruvian is somewhat slower-paced.
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