The cryptic antthrush (''Chamaeza meruloides''), also known as Such's antthrush, is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the family

Formicariidae Formicariidae is a family of smallish suboscine passerine birds of subtropical and tropical Central and South America known as antthrushes. They are between in length, and are most closely related to the ovenbirds in the family Furnariidae, an ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the Atlantic Forest in southeastern

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Taxonomy and systematics

Although the cryptic antthrush was first described almost 200 years ago, it was long overlooked (hence, ''cryptic'') due to confusion with the rufous-tailed antthrush (''C. ruficauda'') and short-tailed antthrush (''C. campanisona''), which are found in the same region. Its identity as a separate species was recognized in 1992.Willis, E.O. (1992). ''Three Chamaeza Antthrushes in eastern Brazil (Formicariidae).'' Condor 94: 110-116 When

Nicholas Aylward Vigors Nicholas Aylward Vigors (1785 – 26 October 1840) was an Ireland, Irish zoologist and politician. He popularized the classification of birds on the basis of the quinarian system. Early life Vigors was born at Old Leighlin, County Carlow, in 1 ...

described this species in 1825, he based it on two

specimen Specimen may refer to: Science and technology * Sample (material), a limited quantity of something which is intended to be similar to and represent a larger amount * Biological specimen or biospecimen, an organic specimen held by a biorepository f ...

s collected by George Such, and this is the reason for the species' other common name, Such's antthrush. The cryptic antthrush is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

Description

The cryptic antthrush is long and weighs about . The sexes are alike. Adults have a red-brown forecrown and brown crown. They have white or buff lores and a white streak behind their eye. Their upperparts are mostly olive brown with a reddish rump. Their tail is brown with a black band near the end and thin buffy tips on the feathers. Their throat is white or buffy white. Their underparts are mostly buffy white with black streaks on their sides and flanks and their crissum is deep buff. Their iris is brown to reddish brown, their bill dusky brown, and their legs and feet dusky brown.Greeney, H. F. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Such's Antthrush (''Chamaeza meruloides''), 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.sucant1.01 retrieved August 27, 2024

Distribution and habitat

The cryptic antthrush is found in the coastal mountains of southeastern Brazil from southern

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

to northeastern Santa Catarina. It inhabits the floor of the interior and edges of humid

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

. In elevation it mostly occurs between though occasionally lower.

Behavior

Movement

The cryptic antthrush is believed to be a year-round resident throughout its range.

Feeding

The cryptic antthrush's diet and foraging behavior are not known in detail. It is almost entirely terrestrial. It walks slowly and deliberately on the forest floor and along roots and logs while hunting for invertebrates.

Breeding

Nothing is known about the cryptic antthrush's breeding biology.

Vocalization

The cryptic antthrush's song is "a long series of 20-40 hollow notes, loudest near the middle and quieter at the beginning and end". "One described call is an abrupt ''quick!'' note".

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

has assessed the cryptic antthrush as being of Least Concern. Its population size is not known and is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. One researcher "found he CrypticAntthrush in partially logged forest habitat, suggesting it may be tolerant of some level of human disturbance".Aleixo, A. 1999. Effects of selective logging on a bird community in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Condor 101: 537-548

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q859954 cryptic antthrush Birds of the Atlantic Forest Endemic birds of Brazil cryptic antthrush Taxonomy articles created by Polbot