Chamaeza ruficauda
The Rufous-tailed Antthrush (Chamaeza ruficauda) is a captivating, medium-sized suboscine passerine, measuring approximately 19-20 cm (7.5-7.9 inches) in length and weighing around 70-80 grams. Its plumage is characterized by dull olive-brown upperparts, a striking rufous-chestnut tail that gives the species its name, and a distinctive white throat contrasting with a heavily streaked breast and flanks. A pale, often incomplete, eye-ring adds to its cryptic appearance. As a member of the Formi...
This species primarily inhabits the dense undergrowth of humid montane and lowland Atlantic Forest, typically found at elevations ranging from 500 to 2,400 meters.
Feeds primarily on a variety of insects and other invertebrates, which it gleans and probes from leaf litter and rotting wood on the forest floor.
The Rufous-tailed Antthrush is an exceedingly secretive and terrestrial bird, spending almost its entire life hopping and walking on the forest floor, rarely perching more than a meter or two above ground. It forages by deliberately walking and hopping, pausing to flip leaf litter with its bill o...
The Rufous-tailed Antthrush is a resident species found primarily in the fragmented humid forests of southeastern Brazil, extending south into eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. In Brazil, its distribution stretches from Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo south through Rio de Janeiro, São ...
Least Concern
- The Rufous-tailed Antthrush is far more often heard than seen due to its extremely shy and secretive nature in dense forest undergrowth. - Its name is derived from its distinctive rufous-chestnut tail, a key identification feature if one is lucky enough to spot it. - This species is an expert i...