Short-billed Leaftosser (Sclerurus rufigularis)

Identification & Behavior: ~15 cm (6 in). The Short-billed Leaftosser is uniformly dark brown with a tawny-rufous throat and upper breast.  The tail is black. The bill is dusky gray with a pale mandible. It forages on the ground of terra firme forest in Amazonia where it constantly picks tosses dead leaves in search of prey items. It is similar to the Tawny-Throated Leaftosser but is distinguished by smaller size, more rufous brown on the throat and upper breast, and a shorter bill. These two leaftossers are likely to overlap only on the range of the Short-billed Leaftosser, which is largely in northeast Peru.

Status: The Short-billed Leaftosser is rare in terra firme forest of northeast Peru where it ranges at elevations of up to 800 m along the foothill of the Andes. It also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Tira-hoja de Pico Corto.

Sub-species: Short-billed Leaftosser (Sclerurus rufigularis brunnescens), Todd, 1948.  SE Colombia (S from Meta and Vaupés), W Brazil N of R Amazon (E to possibly right bank of R Negro), E Ecuador and NE Peru (N of R Amazon in Amazonas, Loreto, and San Martín).
(Sclerurus rufigularis rufigularis), Pelzeln, 1868.  S of R Amazon in NE Peru (N Loreto), Brazil (Amazonas E to Maranhão, S to N Mato Grosso) and E Bolivia (E Beni, NE Santa Cruz),

Meaning of Name: Sclerurus: Gr. skleros= stiff and oura= tail. rufigularis: L. rufus= red, rufousa and L. gularis, gula= throated, throat.

See more of the Family Furnariidae