Sandy Gallito
Teledromas fuscus
Plain brown thrush-sized bird of the Monte desert region of western Argentina. Note shorter, thicker bill than canasteros, miners and thornbirds. Tail generally held cocked upward. Generally terrestrial or in ground-level vegetation, individually or in pairs.
Identification
The sandy gallito is 17 cm (6.7 in) long. Two male specimens weighed 35.4 and 41.8 g (1.25 and 1.47 oz) respectively; one female weighted 35.8 g (1.26 oz). In the adult, the crown of the head, back, and wings are light cinnamon as are the central feathers of the tail. The rest of the tail is blackish. The throat and chest are white, blending to light cinnamon on the flanks and vent area. The juvenile is thought to have similar plumage.<p>The typical song of the sandy gallito is a phrase off "loud 'tchowk' notes" repeated up to five times in Río Negro and up to 10 times in other parts of the range.
Taxonomy
The sandy gallito is the only member of its genus and has no subspecies. It is genetically most closely related to the crested gallito (Rhinocrypta lanceolata).
- Scientific name
- Teledromas fuscus
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1873)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Mesitornithidae
- Genus
- Teledromas
Range and habitat
The sandy gallito is a year round resident of the eastern slope of the Andes of Argentina from southwestern Salta Province in the north to Río Negro Province in the south. For most of that range it is found up to 3,500 m (11,500 ft) and in Salta up to 4,000 m (13,000 ft). Its habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland characterized by sparse vegetation on sand and gravel, dry washes, and ravines.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The sandy gallito's principal food is thought to be arthropods. It forages solely on the ground while trying to stay hidden by running between bushes.<p>The sandy gallitos's nest is an open cup of grass, usually constructed at the end of a tunnel up to 50 cm (20 in) long. Eggs are laid between November and February.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Fairly large songbird with round body, long legs, and longish tail. Gray above with warm orange underparts and blackish head. Hops across lawns and stands erect with its bill often tilted upward. In fall and winter, forms large flocks and gathers in trees to roost or eat berries. Common across North America in gardens, parks, yards, golf courses, fields, pastures, and many other wooded habitats.
Naked-faced Spiderhunter
Arachnothera clarae
A small to medium-sized bird of forest and scrub from lowlands to low elevations in the mountains, with a long curved bill. Has a preference for plantain flowers. Overall olive-green in color, grading to pale yellow on the belly, with golden-olive in the wing and faint streaking on the chest. Note the bare orange skin coming down from the base of the bill. Birds in the east-central part of the range have an additional naked orange patch just above the bill. Somewhat similar to Orange-tufted Spiderhunter, but Naked-faced is larger and darker below. Voice includes a rough, grating trill, “grrrrrrr!”
Sao Tome Paradise-Flycatcher
Terpsiphone atrochalybeia
A distinctive long-tailed paradise-flycatcher with different-looking sexes. Male is glossy blue-black with a pale blue bill and blue eye-rings; female has a dark crown, a gray face, rusty upperparts, and pale underparts. Juvenile is like female; young male slowly turns black. A common resident throughout São Tomé in the understory and at middle levels of most habitats. The only other flycatcher within its range is the dull brown Spotted Flycatcher, a scarce migrant. Calls include a rapid electric clicking and buzzing “dzzrt-dzzrt-dzzrt.” The song is a musical repeated “swee dzee-tee che-ree.”
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