| Cinnamon-crested spadebill | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Tyrannidae |
| Genus: | Platyrinchus |
| Species: | P. saturatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Platyrinchus saturatus | |
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Thecinnamon-crested spadebill (Platyrinchus saturatus) is a species ofbird in the familyTyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found inBrazil,Colombia,Ecuador,French Guiana,Guyana,Peru,Suriname, andVenezuela.[2]
The cinnamon-crested spadebill has two subspecies, thenominateP. s. saturatus (Salvin &Godman, 1882), andP. s. pallidiventris (Novaes, 1968).[2]
The cinnamon-crested spadebill is 9 to 9.5 cm (3.5 to 3.7 in) long and weighs 8.8 to 15 g (0.31 to 0.53 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a mostly dark rufous-brown head with a partially concealed orange-rufous patch on the crown, a buffish white spot above thelores, and an inconspicuous paleeye-ring. Their back, rump, and uppertailcoverts are dark rufous-brown. Their wings are mostly dark rufous-brown with a dusky patch at the base of theprimaries and rufescent edges on all the flight feathers. Their tail is stubby and dark rufous-brown. Their throat is white, their breast and sides whitish washed with olive, and their belly pale yellow. SubspeciesP. s. pallidiventris has a more orange-yellow crown patch, a darker olive breast, and a brighter yellow belly than the nominate. Both subspecies have a brown iris, a wide flat black bill with sometimes a more grayishmandible, and pale pinkish cream legs and feet.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
The cinnamon-crested spadebill has adisjunct distribution. The nominate subspecies has a large continuous range fromMeta Department in central Colombia east throughAmazonas andBolívar states in southern Venezuela,the Guianas, and northern Brazil from the upperNegro River to the Atlantic inAmapá anmd northernPará. Separate populations are found in northernSucumbíos Province in northeastern Ecuador and in southernLoreto Province in northeastern Peru. SubspeciesP. s. pallidiventris is found in Brazil south of the Amazon between theTapajós River and northernMaranhão and locally in easternRondônia and northernMato Grosso.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
The cinnamon-crested spadebill primarily inhabitsterra firme forest, where it greatly favors brushy undergrowth and dense stands of saplings. In Peru it is mostly found in forest on nutrient-poor sandy soils inblackwater river basins. In elevation it reaches 300 m (1,000 ft) in Colombia, 200 m (700 ft) in Ecuador, and 900 m (3,000 ft) in Venezuela and Brazil.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
The cinnamon-crested spadebill is a year-round resident.[3]
The cinnamon-crested spadebill feeds onarthropods. It typically forages singly or in pairs, sometimes joinsmixed-species feeding flocks, and occasionally attendsarmy ant swarms. It feeds mostly in the forest's understory. It sits still, typically about 1.5 to 3 m (5 to 10 ft) above the ground, and captures prey mostly with short upward sallies from the perch to grab it from the underside of leaves. It usually lands on a different perch than it started from.[3][4][5][7]
Nothing is known about the cinnamon-crested spadebill's breeding biology.[3]
| Songs and calls |
The subspecies of the cinnamon-crested spadebill have different vocalizations. In Venezuela the nominate gives "a sharp, nasalsquik!" that rises, or a "more double-soundingsquik-ik!".[7] Those calls have also been described as a "high, sharpwhit orwhit-it"[8] and "a simple, sharp,kwip, sometimes doubled to akwi-dip or lengthened to akwip, kwi-di-dip"[5]. What is identified as its song in Peru is "an accelerating series of metallic notes:tew-ti-tik-tik'tik'tik".[6] SubspeciesP. s. pallidiventris sings "a low-pitched, 3-to-6 noteka-knee-knee-knee-knee in little, slow, rattlelike or pulsating bursts".[7]
TheIUCN has assessed the cinnamon-crested spadebill as being of Least Concern. It has a large range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] The species is generally uncommon to rare and "perhaps overlooked, as [it is] difficult to locate".[3] It is considered rare in Colombia, "very rare and local" in Ecuador, "seemingly rare" in Peru, "uncommon or rare" in Venezuela, and "widely distributed and not uncommon" in Surinam.[4][5][6][7][3]
