OVENBIRDS   -   FURNARIIDAE   -   PART III
Thornbirds to White-throated Treerunner

Rufous-fronted Thornbird Phacellodomus rufifrons specularis East of São João dos Patos, Maranhão state, Brazil. This race, endemic to NE Brazil, has distinctive rufous patches in the primaries. This particular individual was in bamboo, a habitat I have never seen it in anywhere else in its range. (D3)

Little Thornbird Phacellodomus sibilatrix El Tunal, Salta province, Argentina. A well-named bird, this is the smallest member of the genus, and can look very spinetail-like.  It is found mainly in the chaco region. (S5)

Streak-fronted Thornbird Phacellodomus striaticeps striaticeps Los Cardones NP, Salta province, Argentina. A pair responding to playback. Found in the high Andes in southern Peru to northern Argentina. It seems to be more common southwards, and in Argentina it can be one of the most common birds in Andean scrub and puna. (S5)

Spot-breasted Thornbird Phacellodomus maculipectus Animas, Salta province, Argentina Endemic to the yungas (cloudforest) of southern Bolivia and northern Argentina. Recently split from Freckle-breasted Thornbird (P. striaticollis) of the pampas region, a photo of which you can see below. Spot-breasted is much more boldly marked underneath. (S5)

Freckle-breasted Thornbird Phacellodomus striaticollis Costanera Sur reserve, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Endemic to the pampas region of southern Brazil, Uruguay, and northeastern Argengina. (S5)

Chestnut-backed Thornbird Phacellodomus dorsalis Celendín-Balsas road, Cajamarca department, Peru. An extremely local endemic to arid woodland and scrub in the upper Marañon Valley in northern Peru. (S6)

Greater Thornbird Phacellodomus ruber Transpantanal Highway, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Found in central South America, always near water. (S6)

Orange-eyed Thornbird Phacellodomus erythrophthalmus Perequê, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Endemic to Southeast Brazil, where it prefers scrubby areas and young secondary forest. It was formerly considered conspecific with Orange-breasted Thornbird P. ferrugineigula (below), but they were finally split due to obvious differences in voice, plumage, and habitat. (S6)

Orange-breasted Thornbird Phacellodomus ferrugineigula Intervales State Park, São Paulo state, Brazil. Endemic to marshes in southern Brazil. It was formerly considered conspecific with Orange-eyed Thornbird (above). (S6)

Firewood-gatherer Anumbius annumbi Serra da Canastra NP, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The thornbirds and cacholotes also build huge stick nests, but this little bird got a special the special name. It's fairly widespread in more open areas of the southeastern portion of the continent. (S5)

Lark-like Brushrunner Coryphistera alaudina alaudina San José de las Salinas, Córdoba province, Argentina. A totally unique bird in the Neotropics, and often fun to observe as they are always in groups. (D3)

Ruddy Treerunner Margarornis rubiginosus rubiginosus Savege Valley, San José province, Costa Rica. A Chiriquí Endemic, restricted to the mountains for Costa Rica and western Panama. (S6)

Pearled Treerunner Margarornis squamiger peruvianus Rio Chido trail, San Lorenzo, Amazonas department, Peru. A beautiful bird of Andean cloudforests, usually seen following mixed species flocks. (S6)

Caatinga Cacholote Pseudoseisura cristata Fazenda Nova Esperança, Canudos-Jeremoaba road, Bahia state, Brazil. Endemic to interior eastern Brazil. (D3)

Caatinga Cacholote Pseudoseisura cristata Fazenda Nova Esperança, Canudos-Jeremoaba road, Bahia state, Brazil. The song duet given by pairs of these active and entertaining birds is unforgettable, and one of the most characteristic sounds of the region. (D3)

Rufous (Gray-crested) Cacholote Pseudoseisura unirufa Pousada Piuval, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. These bold, noisy birds are a common sight in the Pantanal, often right in the grounds of your lodge. (S5f)

Rufous (Gray-crested) Cacholote Pseudoseisura unirufa Pousada Piuval, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. These birds build enormous nests many times their size. Here's one hard at work. This was photographed from a tower, so I was looking down on the nest. (S5)

Brown Cacholote Pseudoseisura lophotes c. 18km NE of JV Gonzales, Salta province, Argentina. This poor photo doesn't do justice to the bird. It is the largest member of the Furnariidae, measuring 26 cm (10.2 in), and it's size, crest, and behavior recall a jay more than anything. It's found widely in the lowlands of N Argentina and Uruguay, as well as adjacent parts of Bolivia and Paraguay. (S5)

White-throated Cacholote Pseudoseisura gutturalis Quilmes, Tucumán province, Argentina. This distinctive cacholote is endemic to the deserts of Argentina. Here it is perched on its huge, thorny stick nest. (S5)

White-throated Cacholote Pseudoseisura gutturalis Quilmes, Tucumán province, Argentina. A different pose of the same bird as above. (S5)

Chaco Earthcreeper Tarphonomus certhioides certhioides El Tunal, Salta province, Argentina. Not really related to the Upocerthia earthceepers, from which it was recently separated along with T. harterti. Endemic to the chaco region. (S5)

Lineated Foliage-gleaner Syndactyla subalaris subalaris Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Pichincha province, Ecuador. This species inhabits montane cloudforest from Costa Rica to Peru. (S6)

Chestnut-winged Hookbill Ancistrops strigilatus strigilatus Yasuní Research Station, Orellana province, Ecuador. This is a neat monotypic genus of foliage-gleaner, found widely in the eastern and southern Amazon region. It stays mainly in the subcanopy, so tough to photograph well; this shot is a personal favorite. (S6)

Striped Woodhaunter Hyloctistes subulatus assimilis Mangaloma reserve, Pichincha province, Ecuador. This bird is part of the "Western Woodhaunter" (virgatus) group that will likely be split from the cis-Andean nominate subspecies. Plumage differences are subtle, but they differ dramatically in voice. (S6f)

Streak-capped Treehunter Thripadectes virgaticeps virgaticeps Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Pichincha province, Ecuador. 8 Feb 2008. This bird was nesting in a cavity in a road cut at the lodge parking lot. Someone (probably a previous photographer) had stuck a dead branch into the road cut below the nest, and it became the pair's favorite perch. (S4)

Flammulated Treehunter Thripadectes flammulatus flammulatus Yanacocha reserve, Pichincha province, Ecuador. A badly backlit shot of this rare skulker. This was the first time in ten years of visits that I saw this bird at Yanacocha. (S6)

Brown-rumped Foliage-gleaner Automolus melanopezus Yasuní Research Station, Orellana province, Ecuador. A very scarce and skulky bird in the western Amazon. It's even showing a brown rump in this photo. (S6)

Ruddy Foliage-gleaner Automolus rubiginosus umbrinus South slope of Tacaná volcano, Chiapas state, Mexico. (S5)

Chestnut-crowned Foliage-gleaner Automolus rufipileatus consobrinus Tamá NP (Rio Negro sector), Táchira state, Venezuela. Horribly blurry, but to me it is amazing photo nonetheless. While often common, this is a notoriously shy bird that is very hard to see well, let alone photograph (and this was digiscoped!). I could not find any other photos of this bird that were taken in the wild. (D3)

Santa Marta Foliage-gleaner Automolus rufipectus El Dorado reserve, Santa Marta mountains, Magdalena department, Colombia. Recently split from Ruddy Foliage-gleaner A. rubiginosus, with which it never should have been lumped to begin with. It appears to be far closer to Hylocryptus, and could eventually be transferred to that genus. (S5)

White-throated Treerunner Pygarrhichas albogularis Reserva Nacional Altos de Lircay, Region VII, Chile. A unique furnariid restricted to Chile and Argentina. it is very nuthatch-like, both in appearance and behavior. (S5f)