| Foothill stipplethroat | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Thamnophilidae |
| Genus: | Epinecrophylla |
| Species: | E. spodionota |
| Binomial name | |
| Epinecrophylla spodionota (Sclater, PL &Salvin, 1880) | |
| Subspecies | |
See text | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Myrmotherula spodionota | |
Thefoothill stipplethroat (Epinecrophylla spodionota), previously called thefoothill antwren[2], is a species ofbird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of familyThamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found inColombia,Ecuador, andPeru.[3]
The foothill stipplethroat wasdescribed by the English ornithologistsPhilip Sclater andOsbert Salvin in 1880 and given thebinomial nameMyrmotherula spodionota.[4] Based on genetic and vocal studies it and seven other members of that genus were moved to the newly created genusEpinecrophylla. All were eventually named "stipplethroats" to highlight a common feature and to set them apart fromMyrmotherula antwrens.[5][6][7]
The foothill stipplethroat has two subspecies, thenominateE. s. spodionota (Sclater &Salvin, 1880) andE. s. sororia (von Berlepsch &Stolzmann, 1894).[3]
The foothill stipplethroat is 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long and weighs 9 to 10.5 g (0.32 to 0.37 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a mostly gray face and a black throat with white spots. They have a brown-tinged dark gray crown and back, a dark reddish yellow-brown rump, and a dark brown tail and flight feathers. Their wingcoverts are blackish brown with pale buff or white tips. Their breast and upper belly are gray and their lower belly, flanks, and undertail coverts reddish yellow-brown. Adult females have a mostly yellow-ochre face, throat, and underparts; the throat has some darker mottling. Their upperparts are olive-brown with a buff tinge on the rump. Their wings and flight feathers are brown and their wing coverts brown with pinkish buff tips. Males of subspeciesE. s. sororia have more olive upperparts than the nominate, with less reddish rump, flanks, and undertail coverts. Females have paler underparts than the nominate.[8][9][10]
The nominate subspecies of the foothill stipplethroat is found on the east side of the Andes from southern Colombia south through Ecuador into northern Peru to theMarañón River. SubspeciesE. s. sororia is found in Peru south of the Marañón as far as theDepartment of Madre de Dios. The species inhabits the understorey of foothill and lower montaneevergreen forest. In Colombia it occurs between 600 and 1,400 m (2,000 and 4,600 ft), in Ecuador between 600 and 1,425 m (2,000 and 4,700 ft), and in Peru as low as 500 m (1,600 ft).[8][9][10]
The foothill stipplethroat is believed to be a year-round resident throughout its range.[8]
The foothill stipplethroat feeds onarthropods, especially insects and probably spiders. It typically forages singly, in pairs, or in small family groups, and usually as part of amixed-species feeding flock. It mostly forages in the forest understory up to about 4 m (10 ft) above the ground but occasionally as high as 8 m (25 ft). It takes its prey almost entirely by gleaning from dead leaves on trees and caught in vine tangles and small palms. It much less frequently feeds from mosses, bark, and live leaves.[8][9][10]
The foothill stipplethroat's breeding season has not been defined but includes March. Nothing else is known about its breeding biology.[8]
| Songs and calls |
The foothill stipplethroat's song is "a trill of abrupt, sibilant notes first ascending sharply and then gradually dropping in pitch". Its calls include a "short, high-pitched rattle".[8]
TheIUCN has assessed the foothill stipplethroat as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] It is considered uncommon to fairly common throughout its range. Though it occurs in some protected areas, "the lower Andean slopes to which this species is restricted are some of the areas most at risk of deforestation and cultivation by an ever-expanding human population".[8]
