Brown Trembler
Cinclocerthia ruficauda
A bright-eyed, hefty billed bird of forests and scrublands. Tends to hold its tail cocked up and wings drooped, especially when feeding. Typically appears almost entirely warm brown; dark above and paler below with some gray on head. Gray Trembler lacks the brown hues of Brown Trembler and has some degree of white below. White-breasted Thrasher has largely bright white underparts and a dark red eye (not yellow as in Brown Trembler). Song is a slow jumble of rich whistles and high-pitched sibilant notes. Calls include scattered whistles and harsh scolding notes.
Identification
The nominate subspecies of brown trembler is 20.5 to 26 cm (8.1 to 10.2 in) long; males weigh 47.6 to 65.4 g (1.68 to 2.31 oz) and females 42.8 to 71 g (1.51 to 2.50 oz). The species has a long, slightly downcurved bill, the female's longer than the male's. Adults are mostly shades of brown. Their crown is a deep grayish brown, the nape less gray, the back an olive brown, and the rump and tail a reddish brown. The face is blackish through the eye with grayish olive brown cheeks. The chin and throat are pale grayish buff that becomes browner on the breast and belly. The sides and flanks are cinnamon. The juvenile is similar with faint dusky spots on the breast.<p>C. r. pavida is larger than the nominate but is otherwise similar. C. r. tenebrosa is also similar to the nominate, but its upperparts are darker and sootier and the breast more grayish. C. r. tremula is similar to tenebrosa but much larger.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of genus Cinclocerthia is not fully resolved. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) recognizes the brown trembler and the grey trembler (C. gutturalis). It divides the brown trembler into four subspecies, the nominate C. r. ruficauda, C. r. pavida, C. r. tremula, and C. r. tenebrosa. However, there is significant phylogenetic evidence that brown tremblers from Guadeloupe northwards may represent a separate species (C. tremula) from those on the other islands. Some authors consider tremula to be part of ruficauda
- Scientific name
- Cinclocerthia ruficauda
- Authority
- (Gould, 1836)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Mimidae
- Genus
- Cinclocerthia
Range and habitat
Subspecies C. r. pavida of the brown trembler is the most widely distributed; it is found in the northern Lesser Antilles from Saba south to Montserrat. C. r. tremula is restricted to Guadeloupe, the nominate C. r. ruficauda to Dominica, and C. r. tenebrosa to St. Vincent.<p>The brown trembler mostly inhabits humid evergreen forest but is also found in secondary forest and plantations. In elevation it ranges from sea level to about 900 m (3,000 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Tremblers derive their name from a typical behavior "in which the wings both are drooped and angled slightly away from the body...making very rapid vertical and lateral motions.<p>The brown trembler forages on the ground, in the understory, and in the midstory. It tosses leaves with its bill and more typically probes epiphytes, gaps between vines and trunks, and clusters of dead leaves. Its diet includes a wide variety of fruit, arthropods, and small vertebrates.<p>Little is known about the brown trembler's breeding phenology. It apparently breeds in March and April. The only documented nest was in a coconut palm, "cup-shaped and ... composed of rootlets, lined with finer rootlets and dead leaves".<p>The brown trembler's principal song is "a series of variable loud phrases ranging in quality from 'rather harsh, others rich and warbled, still others high and squeaky'" It also has "subsongs" delivered less frequently. A common call is "a nasal, rasping yeeeah, often repeated many times".
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Buru White-eye
Zosterops buruensis
A small songbird with a prominent white eye-ring, a narrow yellow band on the forehead, green upperparts, a yellow rump, and an entirely yellow underside. Small groups roam the upper levels of forest, scrub, and patches of trees on farmland in the lowlands and foothills. Restricted to Buru, where the only other species with a bold white eye-ring is Warbling White-eye. Buru White-eye is distinguished from that species by its entirely yellow underparts, including the belly. Gives a rapidly repeated agitated-sounding chattering call,“tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu,” as well as a “chewit” note.
Rufous-tailed Flatbill
Ramphotrigon ruficauda
Smallish flycatcher, characteristic of forests on sandy soils and seasonally flooded forests. Heard more often than seen. Best told by bright rufous tail and flight feather edges contrasting with greenish-brown body. Singles or pairs inhabit the mid-story of tall forest and typically do not associate with other species. Sits upright and sallies to foliage for insects. In western Amazonia, told from Dusky-tailed Flatbill by clearer (less mottled) breast and extensive rufous in wings and tail. Voice is a single, lazy whistle, with characteristic strong inflection in the middle.
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