Casiornis fuscus
The Ash-throated Casiornis (*Casiornis fuscus*) is a moderately sized, rather unassuming songbird belonging to the family Tityridae. Measuring approximately 18-20 cm (7-8 inches) in length and weighing 32-40 grams, its appearance is characterized by dull olive-brown upperparts, a distinctive ash-gray throat and upper breast, and rich rufous lower breast, belly, and undertail coverts. Its dark eye lacks any prominent eye-ring, and the bill is dusky with a paler base to the mandible, contributi...
This species primarily inhabits dry deciduous and semi-deciduous forests, woodland edges, and secondary growth, often favoring gallery forests along watercourses from lowlands up to approximately 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) in elevation.
Their diet primarily consists of insects, including butterflies, moths, beetles, and crickets, supplemented by a small amount of fruit. They forage by flycatching and gleaning from vegetation.
Ash-throated Casiornis are diurnal birds, typically observed singly or in pairs, though they may join mixed-species foraging flocks during the non-breeding season. Their foraging strategy primarily involves sallying out from a perch to snatch insects in flight (flycatching) or gleaning them from ...
The Ash-throated Casiornis has a widespread distribution across central and eastern South America, acting as an intra-tropical migrant. Its breeding range extends from central-southern Brazil (e.g., Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, São Paulo) through eastern Bolivia and Paraguay, south into northern Ar...
Least Concern
- The Ash-throated Casiornis is an austral migrant, breeding in the southern parts of its range during the austral summer and moving north for the austral winter. - Despite being part of the Tityridae family, which includes many brightly colored Cotingas, the Ash-throated Casiornis is remarkably ...