Anabacerthia ruficaudata
The Rufous-tailed Foliage-gleaner (Anabacerthia ruficaudata) is a small, energetic passerine renowned for its distinctive rufous tail and active foraging habits in humid Neotropical forests. Measuring approximately 14-15 cm in length and weighing between 17-23 grams, its plumage is characterized by olive-brown upperparts, a contrasting pale whitish supercilium, and finely streaked olive-buff throat and breast, all culminating in its diagnostic bright rufous tail. These field marks, along with...
Primarily inhabits humid evergreen forests, including montane and submontane cloud forests, ranging from 500 to 2000 meters in elevation. It also frequents forest borders and mature secondary growth.
Feeds primarily on arthropods, including various insects (beetles, ants, larvae) and spiders, which it gleans from foliage and bark.
This diurnal foliage-gleaner is a perpetually active bird, typically observed foraging solitarily, in pairs, or most commonly as a key component of mixed-species flocks in the forest mid-story to canopy. Its foraging strategy involves meticulously gleaning arthropods from moss-covered branches, b...
The Rufous-tailed Foliage-gleaner boasts a wide but somewhat fragmented distribution across Central and South America. Its primary range extends from Costa Rica and Panama south through the Andes of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and into Bolivia. Significant disjunct populations are found i...
Least Concern
- The Rufous-tailed Foliage-gleaner is a master of disguise, its olive-brown plumage blending perfectly with the forest canopy. - Despite its name, it doesn't build the elaborate 'oven-like' nests typical of some Furnariids; instead, it often uses natural tree cavities. - It's a common 'nuclear s...