August 4
We have completed the Harvey et al. (2020) changes, for now. That means its time for the first post Harvey et al. change, redoing the Plain-brown Woodcreeper complex.
Plain-brown Woodcreeper complex:
Plain-brown Woodcreeper complex: Based on Schultz et al. (2021) and Weir and Price (2011), with some help from Harvey et al. (2020) and the HBW Checklist, the Plain-brown Woodcreeper complex has been reorganized. The complex, which included only three species (Plain-winged, Tawny-winged, Plain-brown) in H&M-4, is now comprised of four species:
Tawny-winged Woodcreeper, Dendrocincla anabatina, including typhla and saturata
Plain-brown Woodcreeper, Dendrocincla fuliginosa, including rufoolivacea, trumaii (deprecated); ridgwayi, lafresnayei (both parts); meruloides, barinensis, deltana; phaeochroa, and neglecta (deprecated)
d'Orbigny's Woodcreeper, Dendrocincla atrirostris
Plain-winged Woodcreeper, Dendrocincla turdina, including taunayi
The subspecies taunayi is transferred to the Plain-winged Woodcreeper, Dendrocincla turdina. Those who are sharp-eyed will notice that the Line-throated Woodcreeper has disappeared. It may eventually return. More details can found on the Furnariida II page.
[Dendrocolaptinae, Furnariida II, 3.07]
Furnariinae: The subfamily Xenopinae has been demoted to Xenopini, the basal tribe of Furnariinae. Moreover, the tribes of Furnariinae have been rearranged a bit, to conform to Harvey et al. (2020).
[Furnariinae, Furnariida II, 3.07]
Plain Xenops: Based on Harvey and Brumfield (2015) and the HBW Checklist, the Plain Xenops, Xenops minutus, is split into:
White-throated Xenops, Xenops minutus
Northwestern Plain Xenops, Xenops mexicanus, includes ridgwayi, littoralis, olivaceus, and neglectus
Southeastern Plain Xenops, Xenops genibarbus, includes remoratus, ruficaudus, obsoletus, and alagoanus
[Furnariinae, Furnariida II, 3.07]
Sharp-billed Treehunter: This has been moved from Heliobletus to Philydor. Also, note that one of the subspecies currently doesn't have a name! The problem is that contaminatus and camargoi refer to the same subspecies! See Penhallurick (2011) for details. For years we've heard there will be a replacement… we're still waiting.
Also, there seems to be a sister species in Bahia. It hasn't been described yet, but is included as such in Harvey et al. (2020).
[Furnariinae, Furnariida II, 3.07]
Ancistrops: Two species of Ancistrops are placed in the temporary genus "Philydor" because they are sufficiently different from Ancistrops itself, both in appearance and genetics. They are the Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, "Philydor" rufum, and the Chestnut-winged Foliage-gleaner, "Philydor" erythropterum.
[Furnariinae, Furnariida II, 3.07]
Ruddy Foliage-gleaner complex: Both the Santa Marta Foliage-gleaner, Clibanornis rufipectus, and Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaner, Clibanornis erythrocephalus, are embedded in the complex. We First transfer all of these species to Hylocryptus (Chapman 1919, type erythrocephalus).
Based on Harvey et al. (2020), Claramunt et al. (2013), and the HBW Checklist, the Ruddy Foliage-gleaner, Hylocryptus rubiginosus, is split into:
Rusky Foliage-gleaner, Hylocryptus rubiginosus, including guerrerensis, veraepacis, and fumosus
Cinnamon-throated Foliage-gleaner, Hylocryptus cinnamomeigula, including watkinsi
Dusty Foliage-gleaner, Hylocryptus obscurus, including venezuelanus, caquetae, and brunnescens
Black-tailed Foliage-gleaner, Hylocryptus nigricauda, including saturatus and sasaimae
Automolus: The two basal species in Automolus are transferred to Cryptomolus (Claramunt et al. 2013, type rufipileatus).
Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner: In Supplement 59 (2018) the NACC split the Chiriqui Foliage-gleaner, Automolus exsertus, from the Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner, Automolus ochrolaemus. Based on Harvey et al. (2020), the HBW Checklist, and Freeman and Montgomery (2017), I've redone the complex as follows:
Western Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner, Automolus cervinigularis, including hypophaeus and pallidigularis
Chiriqui Foliage-gleaner, Automolus exsertus
Eastern Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner, Automolus ochrolaemus, including turdinus and auricularis
Part of the point is that it seems clear from Freeman and Montgomery that exsertus is vocally different from the Western forms. NACC are clearly of the opinion that it is also different from those to the east, as if on an island (sky island?). Harvey et al. (2020) found 2 million years distance between the Costa Rican birds and those from Loreto, Peru, which are in the ochrolaemus group. This gives us the three species solution above. Yes, it is a bit speculative.
Pale-legged Hornero: Based on Harvey et al. (2020) and the HBW Checklist, the Pale-legged Hornero, Furnarius leucopus, is split into:
Tricolored Hornero, Furnarius tricolor, including araguaiae and assimilis
Pale-legged Hornero, Furnarius leucopus
Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail: Based on Harvey et al. (2020) and the HBW Checklist, the Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail, Leptasthenura aegithaloides, is split into:
Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail, Leptasthenura aegithaloides, including grisescens
Pallid Tit-Spinetail, Leptasthenura pallida
Buffy Tit-Spinetail, Leptasthenura berlepschi
Asthenes: Divided Asthenes into three genera, ``Asthenes'', Siptornoides, and the Asthenes thistletails.
Rusty-vented Canastero: Based on Harvey et al. (2020) and the HBW Checklist, the Rusty-vented Canastero, "Asthenes" dorbignyi, is split into:
White-tailed Canastero, "Asthenes" usheri
Rusty-vented Canastero, "Asthenes" dorbignyi
Ash-browed Spinetail: Based on Harvey et al. (2020), the subspecies debilis is sister to the Creamy-crested Spinetail, Cranioleuca albicapilla. As a result, Ash-browed Spinetail, Cranioleuca curtata, is split into:
Slender-billed Spinetail, Cranioleuca debilis
Ash-browed Spinetail, Cranioleuca curtata, including cisandina
As you can see from tree, these are not sister taxa. The name Slender-billed has been used in the past for debilis, e.g., by Cory and Hellmayr.
Undescribed Spinetail: On a Field Guides trip we Bret Whitney and Marcello Barreiros, Bret pointed out an undescribed Certhiaxis spinetail on a river island. As we were in the Araguaia drainage, this must be the unnamed Certhiaxis mentioned in the Harvey et al. (2020) tree. It's pretty similar to a Yellow-chinned Spinetail, without a yellow chin. I didn't add it to the list, but Harvey et al. (2020) included it in their analysis and you can find it in the species tree next to the Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Certhiaxis cinnamomeus.
Necklaced Spinetail: Based on Harvey et al. (2020), Stopiglia et al. (2020), and the HBW Checklist, the Necklaced Spinetail, Synallaxis stictothorax, is split into:
Necklaced Spinetail, Synallaxis stictothorax
Chinchipe Spinetail, Synallaxis chinchipensis
White-lored Spinetail: Harvey et al. (2020) found that a subspecies of Plain-crowned Spinetail, Synallaxis gujanensis is closer to White-lored Spinetail, Synallaxis albilora than to the rest of gujanensis. The race in question is present in Santa Cruz, Boliva, near El Tuná and I infer it is certhiola. Apparently it looks a lot like albilora.
Rufous Spinetail: Based on Harvey et al. (2020) and the HBW Checklist, the Rufous Spinetail, Synallaxis unirufa, is split into:
Merida Rufous Spinetail, Synallaxis meridana
Perija Rufous Spinetail, Synallaxis munoztebari
Colombian Rufous Spinetail, Synallaxis ochrogaster
Peruvian Rufous Spinetail, Synallaxis unirufa
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