Chestnut-crowned gnateater

Appearance

The chestnut-crowned gnateater is 13 to 14 cm long. The mean weight of seven speciments was 27.6 g. The male of the nominate subspecies has brown upper parts; a gray face, throat, and chest; and orange-brown flanks and vent area. The top of the head is orange-red and there is a white tuft behind the eye. "C. c. chapmani" has a brighter crown. "C. c. brunneinuchas orange-red is only the forehead; it is darker overall and has a white patch on the belly. "C. c. chocoensis" is similar to "brunneinucha" but is smaller, has less gray, has a more olive tinge to the back, and more orange-red on the crown. The female's head and chest are orange-red and the belly is whitish. The white plume behind the eye is smaller than that of the male.

Distribution

The chestnut-crowned gnateater occurs in discontinuous areas from central Colombia to south-central Peru. "C. c. chocoensis" is found in Colombia on the western slope of the Western Andes and in the Serranía del Baudó of western Chocó Department. "C. c. castaneiceps" is found in Colombia's Central and Eastern Andes and into Ecuador. "C. c. chapmani" is found on the east slope of the Andes from southern Ecuador to the Department of San Martín in northern Peru. "C. c. brunneinucha" is found on the east slope of the Peruvian Andes from Huánuco south to Cuzco.

Status

The IUCN has assessed the chestnut-crowned gnateater as being of Least Concern. It is not common in parts of its range but does occur in at least one protected area. It might benefit from the dense vegetation that grows in human-disturbed areas.

Habitat

It inhabits subtropical and tropical rainforest. Though it lives in the forest interior, it prefers smaller vegetation there in openings such as regrowing landslides. It ranges in elevation mostly between 1,000 and 2,000 m but has been found as low as 500 to 600 m in Colombia and Ecuador and as high as about 2,200 m in Peru.

Reproduction

Little is known about the chestnut-crowned gnateater's breeding phenology. A nest found in February in Colombia was a hidden cup placed less than 1 m above ground. Birds were noted in breeding condition between March and June in Colombia's Central Andes.

Food

The chestnut-crowned gnateater forages for arthropods in leaf litter and foliage on and near the ground.