- Herpsilochmus roraimae
Identification
12-13 cm (4¾-5 in). An antwren with a longer tail than all other related species.
- Black crown and nape
- Long pale grey to white supercilium
- Black loral stripe and postocular stripe
- Dark grey upperparts with variable black patches with many white feather edges
- Black wings with two white wing-bands
- Black tail with white tips
- Grey throat and underparts with white central belly and white underwing-coverts
Females have white crown spots, a buff-tinged neck side, light buff breast and sides and smaller tail spots.
Variations
- female kathleenae has greyer upperparts and pale grey (rather than light buff) breast and sides.
Distribution
South America: found in Northern Brazil, west-central Guyana, and southern Venezuela.
A restricted-range species but locally fairly common in its small range.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Two subspecies recognized[1]:
- H. r. kathleenae in Tepuis of southwest Venezuela and adjacent Brazil (northern Amazonas)
- H. r. roraimae in Tepuis of southeast Venezuela, adjacent northern Brazil (northern Roraima) and west-central Guyana
Habitat
Moist montanes. Canopy and subcanopy of humid to wet, evergreen forest and forest borders, at 700–2000 m. Occupies tall forest growing on richer soils on lower and mid-slopes of tepuis; also stunted forest dominated by melastome (Melastoma) on poorer soils near the tops, and occurs regularly at ecotones between latter habitat and brushy savanna at higher elevations.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on insects, probably also spiders.
Forages in canopy but as low as 3 m in small saplings. Often with mixed-species flocks of other insect-eating species like Redstarts and Tanagers.
Breeding
No information.
Movements
Presumably a resident species.
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/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and D Christie, eds. 2003. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 8: Broadbills to Tapaculos. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334504
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Roraiman Antwren. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Roraiman_Antwren
