Foothill Schiffornis (Schiffornis aenea)

Identification & Behavior:~16 cm (6.2 in). The Foothill Schiffornis is olive-gray with a tinge of brown on the throat and crown. It forages in the forest understory where it often perches on vertical stems. It is similar to the Brown-winged Schiffornis but ranges at a higher elevation in a very restricted range in extreme northeast Peru north and west of the Marañon Valley. Recent reports indicate the Foothill Schiffornis also occurs south of the Marañon Valley, in Amazonas. It does not overlap with the also closely related Northern Schiffornis.

Status: The Foothills Schiffornis is uncommon to rare in montane forests of the east slope of the Andes at elevations ranging between 900-1700 m. It also occurs in Ec.

Name in Spanish: Shifornis Submontano.

Sub-species: Foothill Schiffornis (Schiffornis aenea), J. T. Zimmer, 1936.

Meaning of Name: Schiffornis: In honor of Prof. Dr. J. Moritz Schiff (1823-1896) German surgeon, pioneer anatomist, physiologist and Gr. ornis, ornithos= bird. aenea: L. aes, aeris= bronze; aeneus= of a bronze color, coppery or bronzed.

See more of the Family Tityridae