Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant - BirdForum Opus

Subspecies rufipectoralis
Photo © by Luis R
Satipo Road, Junin, Peru, July 25, 2017

Ochthoeca rufipectoralis

Identification

13-14 cm, male and female identical
Upperside is brown to sooty brown, wings and tail dark brown to blackish, underside pale with rufous breast band. White is found as a supercilium that meets above the bill as well as in outer edges to the tail. The wings have rufous wingbar that is very narrow in nominate subspecies, and rufous to white edges to tertials; these markings may disappear with wear.

Most likely subspecies tectricialis
Photo © by Valère CLAVERIE
Santuario National del Ampay, Apurimac, Peru

Variation

The subspecies differ in extent of the rufous breast band as well as in extent of wing markings. There are less obvious differences in colors of crown and upperside.

Distribution

Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

Subspecies obfuscata
Photo © by NJLarsen
Tapichalaca, Zamora-Chinchipe, southeastern Ecuador, 13 June 2019

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Seven subspecies are recognized^[1].

O. r. poliogastra
- Santa Marta Mountains (ne Colombia)
O. r. rubicundula
- Sierra de Perijá (Colombia/Venezuela border)
O. r. obfuscata
- Central and W Andes of Colombia to Peru (nw San Martín)
O. r. rufopectus
- Eastern Andes of Colombia (south to Bogotá)
O. r. centralis
- Andes of Peru (s La Libertad, Ancash and Huánuco)
O. r. tectricialis
- W slope of Eastern Andes of Peru (Pasco to Cuzco)
O. r. rufipectoralis
- Andes of se Peru (Cuzco and Puno) to w Bolivia

Upperside of subspecies obfuscata
Photo © by NJLarsen
Cajas NP, southern Ecuador, 18 June 2019

Habitat

Moist montanes and heavily degraded former forest.

Behaviour

Sallies for invertebrate food usually from an exposed and fairly high post. Often flicks tail upwards.

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from [1] on 30 November 2019).
Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 March 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Rufous-breasted_Chat-Tyrant

External Links

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