Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper

Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper
In São Paulo, Brazil
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Furnariidae
Subfamily: Furnariinae
Genus: Lochmias
Swainson, 1827
Species: L. nematura
Binomial name
Lochmias nematura
(Lichtenstein, 1823)
Diversity
6 subspecies

The Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper (Lochmias nematura) is a passerine bird of South America belonging to the family Furnariidae, the ovenbirds. It is the only member of the genus Lochmias. The species is also known as the Streamside Streamcreeper.[1]

Contents

Description

This bird is about 6 in (15 cm) long, with a short tail and a long, thin, slightly curved bill. The plumage is dark brown, densely spotted white on the underparts. There is a white stripe over the eye and the tail is blackish.

The first Guyana specimen, collected on July 24, 2004, had a smooth ovary measuring 4x3 mm, a bursa of Fabricius measuring 3x3 mm, and an unossified skull (as often seen in Furnarioidea even when adult).[2]

The song is an accelerating trill, lasting for about five seconds.

Ecology

It inhabits dense undergrowth near streams, particularly in humid premontane and montane forest,[3] foraging on the ground for insects and other invertebrates.[4] It usually occurs alone or in pairs and is often shy and hard to see. The nest is ball-shaped with a side-entrance and is built on the ground.

Due to its extremely wide range, the Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN.[5]

Subspecies

There are six subspecies which differ little:

The species has long been suspected to have at least a temporary presence in Guyana. However, this was only proven recently, with sight records in the Pakaraima Mountains since 2002 and a specimen (LSUMZ 175389) taken in 2004. These birds probably belong to one of the Venezuelan populations, but it is not yet known to which.[2]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Remsem, (2003)
  2. ^ a b O'Shea et al. (2007)
  3. ^ Salaman et al. (2002)
  4. ^ de L. Fávaro et al. (2006)
  5. ^ BLI (2009)

References

Further reading

External links