The rufous-crowned antpitta or rufous-crowned pittasoma (''Pittasoma rufopileatum'') 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 gnateater family, Conopophagidae. It is found in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

and

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The position of the two species in genus ''Pittasoma'' in linear format is unsettled. The

International Ornithological Committee The International Ornithologists' Union, formerly known as the International Ornithological Committee, is a group of about 200 international ornithologists, and is responsible for the International Ornithological Congress and other international ...

(IOC) and the

Clements taxonomy ''The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World'' is a book by Jim Clements which presents a list of the bird species of the world. The most recent printed version is the sixth edition (2007), but has been updated yearly, the last version in 2022 ...

place them differently within the gnateater family. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved 15 August 2019 Three subspecies of rufous-crowned antpitta are recognized, the nominate ''Pittasoma rufopileatum rufopileatum'', ''P. r. rosenbergi'', and ''P. r. harterti''. It has been suggested that ''harterti'' should be merged into the nominate subspecies.Greeney, H. F. (2020). Rufous-crowned Antpitta (''Pittasoma rufopileatum''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rucant3.01 retrieved May 8, 2021

Description

The rufous-crowned antpitta is long. One male specimen weighed and a female . In body shape it resembles the "true" antpittas of family Grallariidae. The nominate male's crown is bright rufous with a bold black band below it. Its face is yellowish. The upper parts of the body are olive brown with a scaly appearance. The wings are brownish and have small white spots. The throat and crissum (the area around the

cloaca In animal anatomy, a cloaca ( ), plural cloacae ( or ), is the posterior orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive, reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of many vertebrate animals. All amphibians, reptiles and birds, a ...

) are buffy and the flanks a yellowish buff. Wavy black barring covers most of the under parts. The nominate female is similar, but the crown is not as bright, the black band is smaller, and the face is more rufous. The underside is creamier and the black barring is less prominent. ''P. r. rosenbergi'' is similar to the nominate but it is smaller and its colors are duller. Both sexes' heads are rufuous rather than just the crown, and the underside does not have the black bars. ''P. r. harterti'' is intermediate between the nominate and ''rosenbergi''. The entire face is rufous and it has barring on the underside.

Distribution and habitat

The rufous-crowned antpitta is found on the Pacific slope of Colombia and Ecuador. ''P. r. rosenbergi'' is the furthest north; it occurs only in Chocó Department of Colombia. ''P. r. harterti'' occurs in western Nariño Department, also in Colombia. The nominate occurs in Ecuador's Esmeraldas and Pichincha Provinces. The rufous-crowned antpitta inhabits humid forests in the lowlands and foothills of the Chocó biogeographic region up to elevation. No details of its preferences within that biome have been documented.

Behavior

Feeding

Almost nothing is known about the rufous-crowned antpitta's diet or feeding habits. One specimen's stomach contained insects and spiders.

Breeding

Data are also scarce about the rufous-crowned antpitta's breeding habits. Two specimens in breeding condition have been documented in Colombia, a female in November and a male in February.

Vocalization

The rufous-crowned antpitta's song is a "piercing ''keeee-yurh'' note

Its alarm call is "a decelerating chatter

Status

The

IUCN 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 the rufous-crowned antpitta as Near Threatened. Its habitat is undergoing rapid deforestation and its population is experiencing "a moderately rapid population decline."

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q291255 rufous-crowned antpitta Birds of Colombia Birds of Ecuador Birds of the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena rufous-crowned antpitta Taxonomy articles created by Polbot