Rufous-tailed Stipplethroat

Overview

The rufous-tailed stipplethroat, Epinecrophylla erythrura, is an insectivorous bird in the family Thamnophilidae, formerly known as the rufous-tailed antwren. It is a year-round resident found across the Amazon basin, with the IUCN assessing it as a species of Least Concern due to its large range and stable population.

Identification

• Males lack a contrasting throat, featuring a mostly gray face with a whitish, black-streaked throat, an olive-brown crown and upper back, and rufous-chestnut lower back, rump, and tail.
• Females possess a buff-tinged gray face, with ochre throats and breasts and brown underparts with an ochre tinge.
• Both sexes exhibit red or orange irises and a dark bill, and are small, measuring 10 to 12 cm in length.
• The song is described as an unmusical, extremely high-pitched 'seep-seep-seep' or 'swee, swee-swi-swi-seeseeseesr'.

Habitat

The species inhabits terra firme evergreen forest in the lowlands and foothills, as well as transitional forest and várzea, at elevations primarily below 600 m and occasionally up to 900 m. Its range extends from southeastern Colombia south through eastern Ecuador into Peru, and east into northwestern Brazil.

Diet

The bird feeds on arthropods, particularly insects and spiders, which it forages for singly, in pairs, or in mixed-species flocks within the forest understory and mid-storey. It obtains prey almost entirely by gleaning from dead leaves on trees and in vine tangles.

Did you know?

When defending territory, males display from perches less than a metre apart by puffing up their back plumage, spreading their wings and tail, and swaying back and forth while vocalising continuously.