Cinclodes pabsti
The Long-tailed Cinclodes (Cinclodes pabsti) is a distinctive, medium-sized passerine, typically measuring 19-21 cm (7.5-8.3 inches) in length and weighing around 40-50 grams. Its plumage is predominantly dusky brown, darker on the back and crown, contrasting with paler, sometimes buffy, underparts. Key identification marks include a prominent white supercilium, a dark eye-line, and a striking rufous patch on its primary feathers, visible both in flight and when the wings are slightly open. T...
Restricted to high-altitude grasslands (campos de cima da serra) with rocky outcrops, marshy areas, and stream edges, typically between 900-1800 meters elevation in southern Brazil.
Primarily insectivorous, consuming a variety of invertebrates such as insects, larvae, small crustaceans, and other arthropods found in its terrestrial and aquatic-edge habitat.
Highly diurnal, the Long-tailed Cinclodes forages actively from dawn to dusk, often alone or in pairs. It exhibits a distinctive ground-foraging strategy, walking or running quickly over rocky and muddy substrates, diligently probing crevices, and gleaning invertebrates from wet ground or streams...
The Long-tailed Cinclodes is endemic to a highly restricted area within the high-altitude grasslands of southern Brazil. Its breeding and year-round range is confined to the "Campos de Cima da Serra" region, encompassing parts of northeastern Rio Grande do Sul and southeastern Santa Catarina stat...
Near Threatened
- The Long-tailed Cinclodes was only formally described to science in 1969, making it a relatively recent discovery for ornithology. - It is a strict endemic, found only in a small, unique high-altitude grassland ecosystem in southern Brazil. - Its genus name, Cinclodes, alludes to its dipper-lik...