- Asthenes humilis
Identification
15–16 cm. A typical Canastero.
- Whitish-buff supercilium
- Dark brown and greyish-buff streaked on throat, face and side of neck
- Orange-rufous chin
- Dark dull brown upperparts with faint darker streaks
- Dull dark brownish wings, partly rufous wing-coverts
- Pale brown underparts, paler belly, warmer brownish-buff flanks and undertail-coverts
- Long, graduated tail
- cajamarcae is greyer above and has more distinct streaks on upperparts
- robusta has a darker back with less distinct streaks
Sexes similar. Juveniles without orange on throat and less distinct streaks.
Similar species
Cordilleran Canastero looks similar but lacks the dark streaks on the upperparts, is less streaked on throat and face and shows rufous in the tail.
Distribution
Andes of Bolivia and Peru.
Fairly common to common in most of its range.
Taxonomy
Three subspecies recognized:
- A. h. cajamarcae in the arid temperate west Andes of Peru (Cajamarca)
- A. h. humilis in the arid Andes of Peru (Ancash to Junín and Huancavelica)
- A. h. robusta in the andes of southeast Peru (Puno) and west Bolivia (La Paz)
Habitat
Found in puna grassland, often with rocks and sometimes with scattered bushes.
Occurs from 2750 to 4800 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on beetles, insect larvae and small seeds.
Usually forages in pairs or singly on the ground.
Breeding
Breeds in austral spring and summer. Fledglings seen in Peru in December and in March in Bolivia. Presumably a monogamous species. The nest is a ball made of grass with a side entrance. It's placed on the ground within clumps of bunch-grass.
Movements
A resident species. During snowstorms some downslope movement reported.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2016)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Streak-throated Canastero. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Streak-throated_Canastero
