Slaty gnateater
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Conopophagidae
Genus: Conopophaga
Species:
C. ardesiaca
Binomial name
Conopophaga ardesiaca
Subspecies

See text

The slaty gnateater (Conopophaga ardesiaca) is a species of bird in the family Conopophagidae. It is found in Bolivia and Peru.[2]

Taxonomy and systematics

The position of the slaty gnateater in linear format is unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and the Clements taxonomy place it differently within the gnateater family.[2][3] There are several color variants, and "Further research and, probably, taxonomic revision [are] required."[4] The slaty gnateater has two subspecies, the nominate Conopophaga ardesiaca ardesiaca (D'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837) and C. a. saturata (von Berlepsch & Stolzmann, 1906).[2]

Description

The slaty gnateater is 12.5 to 14 cm (4.9 to 5.5 in) long, and 57 specimens had a mean weight of 26.3 g (0.93 oz). The plumage is variable, but the typical male's head is mostly dark gray that continues through most of the underparts. The crown and upper parts are brown and the flanks and lower belly are brownish gray. It has a white tuft behind the eye. Birds in the Cochabamba Department of Bolivia are much darker. The female has more brown on the face, the white tuft is much smaller, and there is a white patch on the belly. The upper parts can be dark brown, olive brown, or rufous brown.[4]

Distribution and habitat

The slaty gnateater inhabits the narrow band of the Yungas on the eastern slope of the Andes. C. a. saturata is found in Peru from southeastern Cusco Province south towards Bolivia. C. a. ardesiaca is found from the Department of Puno in southeastern Peru to Bolivia's Tarija Department. The species inhabits dense growth in rainforest, typically around treefalls, road edges, and similar openings. In elevation it typically ranges from 800 to 1,800 m (2,600 to 5,900 ft) but is found locally to 2,450 m (8,040 ft) in Peru.[4]

Behavior

Feeding

The slaty gnateater forages for arthropods in leaf litter and foliage on and near the ground.[4]

Breeding

Very little is known about the slaty gnateater's breeding phenology. Specimens collected during June, July, and November in Bolivia were in breeding condition. In Peru, fledglings were observed in November.[4]

Vocalization

The slaty gnateater's song is a "frog-like...'g-reep' or 'w-reeep'" . Its most common call is a "tseet" .[4]

Status

The IUCN has assessed the slaty gnateater as being of Least Concern.[1] It is generally common but locally uncommon and occurs in several protected areas. It might benefit from logging and road construction that provide edges for dense new growth.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2018). "Slaty Gnateater Conopophaga ardesiaca". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (January 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 11.1)". Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  3. ↑ Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved August 15, 2019
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Whitney, B. (2020). Slaty Gnateater (Conopophaga ardesiaca), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.slagna1.01 retrieved May 7, 2021
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