Slender-billed Miner

Overview

The slender-billed miner (Geositta tenuirostris) is a bird species in the ovenbird family Furnariidae, specifically belonging to the subfamily Sclerurinae. It is a large member of its genus and is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN due to its large range and stable population.

Identification

• Large bird measuring 16 to 18 cm in length with a long, decurved blackish bill that has a pinkish base.
• Upperparts are dull grayish brown with a wavy-streaked dull brown crown; wings feature dark brown coverts with dark buff tips forming distinct wing bars.
• Underparts include a whitish throat, buff-white streaked breast, and pale buffy whitish belly, with pale tawny undertail coverts.
• Vocalisations consist of a display flight song described as repetitive 'jit' or 'keek' notes, and calls including 'keeeeek', 'week, week', 'chwea', and a nasal 'kyeenh'.

Habitat

This species inhabits puna grass- and scrublands, pastures, and cultivated land, often near water sources at elevations between 2,500 and 4,600 m. Its range extends across the Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and northwestern Argentina, with a disjunct population in central Ecuador's Cotopaxi Province.

Diet

Foraging occurs on the ground through gleaning, probing, and excavating. The diet comprises invertebrates such as beetles, butterflies and moth larvae, spiders, and springtails.

Did you know?

The species breeds in tunnels, with one instance observed in a nest thought to have been excavated by an Upucerthia earthcreeper. Males engage in a display flight accompanied by specific vocalisations during the austral summer breeding season.