The rock earthcreeper (''Ochetorhynchus andaecola'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the family Furnariidae. It is found in the Puna grassland of

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

and northern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are subtropical or tropical high-altitude

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

and subtropical or tropical high-altitude

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

Description

The rock earthcreeper grows to a length of about . The upper parts are brown with some rufous colour on the primary feathers and a rufous brown tail, which is often kept cocked. The underparts are pale buff, with brownish streaks on the sides and flanks, and sometimes on the entire breast. The beak is long and slightly decurved, and there is a narrow buff

supercilium The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head.Dunn and Alderfer (2006), p. 10 Also ...

above the eye.

Distribution and habitat

The rock earthcreeper is native to the eastern foothills of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

Mountains, its range extending from La Paz Department in western Bolivia to northern Argentina and the eastern fringes of Chile. Its typical habitats are rocky hillsides, grassland with and scattered trees and bushes, rocky outcrops and ravines at altitudes between .

Ecology

This species usually occurs singly or in pairs. It forages on the ground, seldom far from rocks, hopping along, and probing gravel and loose soil with its beak. It is often wary and difficult to approach, flying off for considerable distances when disturbed. The song is produced from a perch on a bush or boulder, and consists of a series of loud, shrill notes "vee-vee-vee-vee-vi-veet", sometimes ending with a splutter.

Status

The rock earthcreeper has a very wide range in Bolivia, northern Chile and northwestern Argentina. It is an uncommon bird and the populations seems to be declining, but not at such a fast rate as to make it vulnerable. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed its conservation status as being of

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

References

* SACC (2007)
Reinstate Ochetorhynchus and merge Chilia and Eremobius into it.
Accessed 2008-10-28. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1259919 rock earthcreeper Birds of the Puna grassland rock earthcreeper Taxonomy articles created by Polbot