Buff-breasted Earthcreeper (Upucerthia validirostris)

Identification & Behavior: ~19 cm (7.4 in). The Buff-breasted Earthcreeper has brown wings, mantle, and tail. It has a buffy or pale supercilium and a long, thin, and decurved black bill. The underparts are whitish brown with a tinge of buff, which is more saturated on the breast. It forages in sparse Andean scrub with interspersed boulders. It is similar to the White-throated Earthcreeper but is distinguished by having brown upperparts and tail, whitish brown underparts, and by ranging at higher elevations. 

Status: The Buff-breasted Earthcreeper is uncommon on the west slope of the Andes and the Southern Altiplano at elevations ranging between 3400-4800 m. It also occurs in Bo and Ch.

Name in Spanish: Bandurrita de Pecho Anteado.

Sub-species: Buff-breasted Earthcreeper (Upucerthia validirostris saturata), Carriker, 1933. W Andes of C Peru (Ancash, Huánuco, NW Pasco).
(Upucerthia validirostris jelskii), (Cabanis, 1874) – Andes of C & S Peru (Lima and Junín to Puno), N Chile (Tarapacá), W Bolivia (La Paz S to Potosí) and NW Argentina (Jujuy).

Meaning of Name: Upucerthia: Composed word. Genus Upupa Linnaeus, 1758, hoopoe and genus Certhia Linnaeus, 1758, treecreeper. validirostris: L. validus, valere= strong, stout, to be strong and rostris, rostrum= billed, beak.

See more of the Family Furnariidae