Epinecrophylla erythrura
The Rufous-tailed Stipplethroat, Epinecrophylla erythrura, is a diminutive and often elusive member of the antbird family (Thamnophilidae), renowned for its subtle beauty and specialized understory existence. Averaging just 10-11 cm in length and weighing a mere 9-12 grams, this small passerine is characterized by its dull olive-brown plumage on the upperparts, contrasting with a distinctly rufous or reddish-brown tail, a key diagnostic field mark from which it derives its common name. Its un...
This species primarily inhabits the understory and lower mid-story of humid, undisturbed lowland and foothill evergreen forests, typically at elevations ranging from 100 to 1,200 meters.
The diet consists almost exclusively of small insects and spiders, primarily gleaned from foliage and small branches in the forest understory.
Rufous-tailed Stipplethroats are generally active during daylight hours, preferring to forage in the dense foliage of the forest understory, often at dawn and dusk. Their foraging strategy involves meticulously gleaning small arthropods from the undersides of leaves, twigs, and vine tangles, ofte...
The Rufous-tailed Stipplethroat is a resident species distributed across the western Amazon Basin and its adjacent foothills. Its primary range extends from southeastern Colombia, through eastern Ecuador and eastern Peru, and into northwestern Bolivia and western Brazil (states of Acre and Amazon...
Least Concern
- The Rufous-tailed Stipplethroat's scientific genus name, 'Epinecrophylla', literally means 'on the dead leaf', reflecting its preferred foraging substrate for insects. - Despite its small size, its song has a surprisingly penetrating quality, allowing it to be heard over the cacophony of the ra...