Anabacerthia variegaticeps
The Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner (Anabacerthia variegaticeps) is a captivating, medium-sized passerine, typically measuring 15-17 cm in length. Its plumage is a subtle but attractive blend of olive-brown upperparts and paler, buffy-whitish underparts. The most distinctive field mark, giving the species its common name, is the finely 'scaly' pattern on its throat and upper breast, created by dusky feather edgings. Rufous coloration on the wing patches and tail, along with a pale supercilium,...
Primarily lives in humid montane and foothill forests, cloud forests, and mature secondary growth, typically at elevations between 800 and 2,500 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a wide variety of arthropods, including beetles, caterpillars, spiders, and other small invertebrates, which it gleans from foliage and bark.
Diurnal and active, the Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner is often observed alone or in pairs, but frequently joins mixed-species foraging flocks, particularly in the forest mid-story. Its foraging strategy is remarkably acrobatic; it meticulously gleans insects and spiders from live and dead leaves...
This resident species occupies a broad, disjunct range from Central America south to northwestern South America. In Central America, it is found in the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama. South of this, its distribution continues along the Andes and associated mountain ranges through west...
Least Concern
- The "scaly" appearance of its throat is caused by dark feather edgings on a pale background, a subtle but distinctive field mark. - It is a member of the Furnariidae family, often called "ovenbirds" due to the elaborate, oven-like mud nests built by some South American species, though foliage-g...