From Opus

Adult. Photo by moraleda
Concepcion, Chile

Tachuris rubrigastra

[edit] Identification

4 in. Black crown with red central line. Yellow supercilliary from bill to nape. Sides of the face with bluish black triangle from the bill base to auriculars. White throat, yellow chest, light yellow abdomen, reddish undertail, green back, black wing with white line. Black tail with white border. Black legs. Black and thin bill. Pale eyes.

Juvenile. Photo by rdavis
Pantanos de Villa, Peru, March 2010

Juvenile much less colorful.

[edit] Distribution

Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, and in winter, southern Brazil.

[edit] Taxonomy

Four subspecies are recognized^[1]:

• T. r. libertatis
• T. r. alticola
• T. r. rubrigastra
• T. r. loaensis

[edit] Habitat

Adult. Photo by BirdsPeru
Lima, Peru

Reeds and rushes near water

[edit] Behaviour

Diet includes insects.

It builds a woven, cup shaped nest of dry rush strips. 2 to 3 yellowish eggs are laid.

Sounds include some reminding of a bouncing ball and others with a buzz quality.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Alvaro Jaramillo. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton Field Guides. ISBN 0-691-11740-3

[edit] External Links