Atlantic Plain Xenops

Overview

The Atlantic plain xenops, also known as the white-throated xenops, is a passerine bird in the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is a monotypic species found in eastern and southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, and northern Argentina, and is currently assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Identification

• About 12 cm long and weighing 10 to 13 g, with a wedge-shaped, stubby, and slightly upturned bill.
• Adults feature a conspicuous buff or whitish supercilium and a wide pure white malar stripe, with dull brown to rufous brown unstreaked upperparts.
• The tail and wings are cinnamon, with the tail showing much black and the wings displaying a wide tawny or ochraceous band on the flight feathers.
• Song consists of a series of 4-7 upslurred notes (e.g., wee-kwee-kwee-kweet!) and calls are short, emphatic, upslurred kweet! notes.

Habitat

Inhabits the interior and edges of various forested landscapes, including terra firme forests in tropical lowlands, semideciduous forest, mature secondary forest, and gallery forest. Its range spans from sea level to 1,500 m in elevation across eastern and southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, and northern Argentina's Misiones Province.

Diet

Diet is almost entirely arthropods, including termites, ants, bees, beetles, katydids, millipedes, and spiders, consuming both adult and larval forms. It forages primarily in the forest understory to mid-level, occasionally ascending to the canopy, and frequently joins mixed-species foraging flocks. Prey is captured by gleaning, hammering, chiseling, and prying with its upturned bill on thin dead branches and vines.

Did you know?

The species has a complicated taxonomic history, having been separated from the plain xenops in 2016 and renamed to avoid confusion as further splits occurred, yet breeding biology remains unstudied and is simply assumed to be similar to its former parent species.