Chestnut-crowned Antpitta

Overview

The chestnut-crowned antpitta (Grallaria ruficapilla) is a plump, round bird in the family Grallariidae, found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, it is believed to be resident throughout its range.

Identification

• Adults of the nominate subspecies have a rufous crown, nape, and face, with an olivaceous back, rump, tail, and wings.
• The throat, breast, and belly are white, featuring ochraceous edges on some breast feathers and olivaceous and blackish streaks on the sides and sometimes the breast.
• It measures 18 to 23 cm in length and has a stout black bill with a grey base on the mandible, along with pale blue-grey legs and feet.
• The song consists of a monotonously repeated three-note pattern described as 'wheee, whooo-whooo' or 'hee hoo-HEW'.

Habitat

This species inhabits a wide variety of landscapes, including subtropical and tropical montane forest, woodlands, and secondary forest, often at forest edges or in open areas. It is strongly associated with Chusquea bamboo and occurs at elevations between 1,200 and 3,000 m.

Diet

The chestnut-crowned antpitta primarily forages on the ground by running and stopping to probe leaf litter for earthworms, arthropods, and other invertebrates. It occasionally climbs foliage for caterpillars and may follow army ant swarms or large mammals like tapirs to capture disturbed prey.

Did you know?

Despite its wild nature, this antpitta regularly visits feeding stations set up for viewing, where it is fed earthworms and similar invertebrates.