Rufous-banded Miner

Overview

The rufous-banded miner (Geositta rufipennis) is a species of bird in the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile.

Identification

• Medium to large member of its genus, measuring 14 to 17 cm in length.
• Nominate subspecies has a brownish gray face with a pale supercilium and a dark gray-brown line behind the eye.
• Uppertail coverts are dull sandy olive, with central tail feathers featuring dull tawny bases, grayish brown middles, a wide blackish band near the end, and dull tawny tips.
• Song is a fast series of buzzy, trilled notes on the same pitch, which may include bursts of faster notes.

Habitat

The rufous-banded miner inhabits several open landscapes, including puna grassland, arid montane scrublands, dry rocky slopes, flat areas with scattered vegetation, and dry riverbeds. In the Andes, it is found at elevations between 3,100 and 4,400 m, but occurs as low as 2,200 m in central Argentina and nearly down to sea level in Chile's Atacama Province.

Diet

The bird gleans its food on the ground, either singly or in pairs. Its diet consists mostly of arthropods, and also includes seeds and leaf buds.

Did you know?

The rufous-banded miner usually excavates a horizontal tunnel with an enlarged chamber at the end in an earthen bank or slope for nesting, though sometimes it nests in a rock crevice. It pads the nest chamber with grass, hair, feathers, and other soft material.