Straight-billed Earthcreeper

Overview

The straight-billed earthcreeper (Ochetorhynchus ruficaudus) is a medium-sized bird in the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is a year-round resident of the southern Andes, found across parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.

Identification

• Measures 16 to 19 cm in length and weighs 28 to 41 g.
• Features a long, only very slightly decurved bill that is black or blackish brown with a whitish horn base.
• Nominate adults have a dull brownish face with a narrow whitish supercilium, a black eye-stripe, whitish cheeks, and a rufescent brown back.
• Song is a loud series of notes that rises in pitch then descends and fades; calls include a sharp 'kweep' or 'wheet'.

Habitat

Inhabits arid scrublands with bunchgrass and scattered bushes in the southern Andes, favouring rocky hillsides, outcrops, and ravines. Its elevation range is typically between 2,300 and 4,300 m, though it can occur locally down to 1,300 m. Its range spans from southern Peru and northern Chile through Bolivia into northern and western Argentina.

Diet

Consumes an arthropod diet by foraging on the ground, usually singly or in pairs. It gleans and extracts prey while hopping among rocks, bunchgrass, and bushes.

Did you know?

This species excavates its nest as a tunnel in an earthen bank or occupies a rock crevice, lining the chamber with soft materials like grass, hair, and feathers.