Guianan gnatcatcher

The Guianan gnatcatcher (Polioptila guianensis) is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.[1]

Guianan gnatcatcher
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Polioptilidae
Genus: Polioptila
Species:
P. guianensis
Binomial name
Polioptila guianensis
Todd, 1920

Taxonomy and systematics

The Guianan gnatcatcher is monotypic. Two former subspecies, Rio Negro gnatcatcher (Polioptila facilis) and Para gnatcatcher (P. paraensis, also called Klages's gnatcatcher) have been treated as separate species since mid-2019. The Inambari gnatcatcher (P. attenboroughi) and Iquitos gnatcatcher (P. clementsi), which were accepted as new species at about that time, are very closely related to it.[2][3][4]

Description

The Guianan gnatcatcher is 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long and weighs 5 to 7 g (0.18 to 0.25 oz). The male's head, back, and breast are bluish gray. It has a broken white eye ring. The innermost feathers of its tail are black and the two outermost white. Its throat and belly are white. The female is similar but a paler gray and has a white supercilium.[4]

Distribution and habitat

The Guianan gnatcatcher is found in the Guianas and adjoining Brazil south to the Amazon River.[5] Its range might also extend westward into eastern Venezuela.[1][4] It inhabits the borders and canopy of humid primary forest, savanna forest, and dryland forest.[4]

Behavior

Feeding

The Guianan gnatcatcher's diet has not been documented but is assumed to be arthropods like that of other Polioptila gnatcatchers. It actively forages as part of mixed-species flocks.[4]

Breeding

The Guianan gnatcatcher's breeding phenology is essentially unknown, but "A male was observed feeding a fledgling on 27 November 1984 in French Guiana".[4]

Vocalization

The Guianan gnatcatcher's song is "fairly simple...repeated high notes" .[4]

Status

The IUCN has not assessed the Guianan gnatcatcher separately from the larger species complex that predated the 2019 splits. That complex was assessed as of Least Concern.[6] "The species’ ecoregion of primary occurrence, Guianan moist forest, not considered to be at serious risk, given its current and projected conservation status."[4]

References
  1. Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (January 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 11.1)". Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  2. Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 23 May 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved May 24, 2021
  3. Gill, F.; Donsker, D. (June 2019). "IOC World Bird List (v 9.2)". Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  4. Atwood, J. L., S. B. Lerman, G. M. Kirwan, and H. F. Greeney (2020). Guianan Gnatcatcher (Polioptila guianensis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.guigna3.01 retrieved May 29, 2021
  5. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved August 15, 2019
  6. BirdLife International (2018). "Guianan Gnatcatcher Polioptila guianensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
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