The scaly-throated leaftosser (''Sclerurus guatemalensis'') 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 lightweig ...

in the family Furnariidae. It is found in

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...

, Colombia, Costa Rica,

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

, Guatemala, Honduras,

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean Sea, Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to ...

, and

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are

subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, disco ...

and subtropical or tropical moist

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

Description

The scaly-throated leaftosser is a medium-sized bird about in length with a long beak and short tail. It is similar to the tawny-throated leaftosser (''Sclerurus mexicanus'') in having deep brown upper parts, a tawny breast and dark brown underparts. It differs in not having a rufous rump, and in having a whitish throat, each feather on throat and breast having a black margin, which gives the bird the appearance of being scaled. The call is a harsh, shrill "Schreeek" and the song a descending series of clear whistling-notes.

Distribution

This species is native to Central America where it occurs on both the Pacific and Atlantic slopes. Its range extends from southern Mexico to northern Colombia and it inhabits lowland humid forests as well as forested foothills.

Ecology

Leaftossers are inconspicuous birds that move about the forest floor probing the leaf-litter with their beaks. They are difficult to observe, but may be recognised by the calls they emit, particularly at dawn and dusk. They usually forage alone, but sometimes do so in pairs, hopping rather than walking. As they search for small invertebrates among dead leaves, they flick the leaves noisily aside. They nest in holes in earth banks or among the exposed roots of fallen trees.

Status

The scaly-throated leaftosser has a very wide range but, although it is common in places, it is mostly an uncommon species.

Partners in Flight Partners in Flight / Compañeros en Vuelo / Partenaires d’Envol is an organization launched in 1990 in response to growing concerns about declines in the populations of many land bird species, and to emphasize the conservation of birds not covered ...

have estimated that there are probably fewer than 50,000 individuals in total, and that the population is declining. However the

International Union for Conservation of Nature 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 natur ...

has assessed the bird's conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. Th ...

" as it considers the rate of decline is insufficient to warrant putting the bird in a more-threatened category.

References

External links