Foothill Schiffornis

Overview

The foothill schiffornis, or foothill mourner, is a Neotropical bird in the family Tityridae. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN but is considered uncommon and likely declining due to deforestation.

Identification

• Adults measure 15.5 to 17.3 cm in length and weigh between 28.5 and 31 g, with similar plumage in both sexes.
• Upperparts and tail are dark brownish olive with a bronzy cast, while wings are a warmer brown.
• The face is dark brownish olive featuring an indistinct pale eye-ring, and the throat and breast are brown with a golden tinge.
• The main vocalisation is described as a 'mournful deuu…teé’wOOee, tew-tew or hew EeuEE TU-hew, with the second note rising and then falling'.

Habitat

Found primarily along the eastern slope of the Andes in Ecuador, with its range extending into northern Peru and a single record in far southwestern Colombia. It inhabits the understory of primary and mature secondary forest at elevations between 900 and 1,700 m in Ecuador, and at 1,200 m in Colombia.

Diet

This bird feeds on fruits and insects, though specific details are lacking. It forages mostly in the forest understory, taking food from vegetation or in mid-air with short sallies from a perch, and rarely joins mixed-species feeding flocks.

Did you know?

For much of the twentieth century, this species was placed in the manakin family Pipridae and referred to as a manakin, before being reassigned to Tityridae in the early twenty-first century. The process of separating it from the thrush-like schiffornis began in 2012 and took until at least 2016 for major taxonomic systems to implement.