Curve-billed Reedhaunter

Overview

The curve-billed reedhaunter (Limnornis curvirostris) is a small bird in the ovenbird family Furnariidae, found in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. It is the only member of its genus and is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, though its narrow habitat requirements make it potentially vulnerable.

Identification

• Size: 15 to 17 cm long and 27 to 30 g in weight, resembling some Old World reed warblers.
• Plumage: Rich brown upperparts that become more rufescent on the wings and tail, with a whitish supercilium, dark brown band behind the eye, and cinnamon-buff flanks.
• Bill: Long and quite decurved, with a brown to blackish maxilla and a whitish-brownish mandible.
• Song: A fast series of harsh notes that ascend and then descend in pitch, fading towards the end, accompanied by a hollow 'took' call.

Habitat

Essentially coastal, inhabiting freshwater marshes and brackish coastal lagoons from sea level to about 100 m elevation. Its range is limited to the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Uruguay, and the eastern Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos and Buenos Aires, where vegetation is often dominated by Scirpus giganteus and Zizaniopsis bonarinsis.

Diet

Feeds on adult and larval arthropods gleaned from marsh vegetation, typically foraging by itself.

Did you know?

It constructs a ball-shaped nest with a side entrance that often features an overhanging 'awning', attaching it to reeds or atop vegetation, though details of its breeding incubation and parental care remain unknown.