- Asthenes virgata
Identification
17-18 cm (6¾-7 in)
- Broad greyish-white supercilium, looking rather messy
- Rest of face with dark brown and greyish feathers with varying amounts of pale shaft streaking
- Very dark brown crown with fine light rufous streaks
- Dark brown back with pale buff streaks
- Brown rump with only some hint of streaks
- Darker uppertail-coverts with prominent buff-brown streaks
- Rich brown wings
- Graduated tail
- Orange-rufous throat
- Whitish buff-grey breast with darker brown edges creating a mottled to scaly look
- Whitish buff-brown belly with some grey tones
Sexes similar, juveniles undescribed.
Distribution
South America: very local in the Andes of central and southern Peru (Lima, Junín, Ayacucho, Apurímac, Cuzco, Puno).
A rare to uncommon and poorly known restricted-range species.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Found in páramo and puna grassland and around the timber-line with tall bunch-grasses and low shrubs. Often (or usually) near Polylepis woodland.
Occurs from 3250 to 4500 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Not much known. Recorded to glean arthropods from the ground or from low vegetation.
Usually solitary or in pairs.
Breeding
No information available.
Movements
A resident species. Downslope movements during snowstorms recorded.
Gallery
Click on photo for larger image
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Nov 2017)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Junin Canastero. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Junin_Canastero
