Scaly-throated Leaftosser

Overview

The scaly-throated leaftosser (Sclerurus guatemalensis) is a species of bird in the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in humid lowland forests across Mexico, Central America (excluding El Salvador), and northern South America.

Identification

• Length is 16.5 to 18 cm with a weight of approximately 35 g.
• Chin and throat feathers are whitish with darker margins creating a distinct scaly appearance.
• Breast is dull reddish brown with narrow rufous streaks, while the back is dark brown.
• Song is a descending series of accented whistles, often described as a clear trill or a rippling series of liquid notes.

Habitat

This species inhabits humid lowland evergreen forest, favouring primary forest with little undergrowth under a closed canopy, as well as mature secondary and montane evergreen forests. In Ecuador, it also occurs in lowland cloudforest. Its altitude range varies by region, reaching up to 1,200 m in northern Central America, 1,000 m in Colombia, and 800 m in Ecuador.

Diet

The bird forages mostly on the ground by flipping aside leaves and pecking at leaf litter and rotting logs while hopping. It typically forages alone or in pairs but occasionally joins mixed-species flocks. Its diet consists primarily of insects and other small invertebrates.

Did you know?

Both sexes excavate a tunnel with an enlarged chamber at the end, usually in a stream bank or the root ball of a fallen tree, to create their nest.