Montane Foliage-gleaner

Overview

The montane foliage-gleaner (Anabacerthia striaticollis) is a species of bird in the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN due to its large range and stable population.

Identification

• 16 to 17 cm long, medium-sized furnariid with a wedge-shaped bill and yellowish brown legs.
• Mostly dark brown plumage with a wide pale tawny-buff eyering that extends as a streak behind the eye, and rich rufescent brown wings and tail.
• Song described as an accelerating, belaboured series of staccato, high-pitched, ticking or squeaky 'peck' or 'tchik' notes, sometimes ending abruptly.
• Sexes are indistinguishable, though juveniles have a darker crown, a more prominent eyering, and are overall more rufous than adults.

Habitat

Found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, this species inhabits montane evergreen forest in the subtropical and foothill zones. Its elevation range is typically 900 to 2,300 m, though it reaches up to 2,800 m in Colombia.

Diet

Feeds on arthropods, foraging singly and in pairs or as part of mixed-species flocks. It mostly forages from the forest's mid-storey to its subcanopy, clampering and hopping along horizontal branches to glean prey from dead leaves, debris, epiphytes, and moss.

Did you know?

The two known nests of this species were found in holes in a palm stump and a dead tree, both lined with lichens and moss.