Rufous-fronted thornbird

The rufous-fronted thornbird, or common thornbird[2], (Phacellodomus rufifrons) is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru.[3]

Rufous-fronted thornbird
at Serra da Canastra National Park, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Furnariidae
Genus: Phacellodomus
Species:
P. rufifrons
Binomial name
Phacellodomus rufifrons
(Wied, 1821)

Taxonomy and systematics

The rufous-fronted thornbird's taxonomy is unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) assign it these four subspecies:[3][4]

  • P. r. peruvianus Hellmayr, 1925
  • P. r. specularis Hellmayr, 1925
  • P. r. rufifrons (Wied, 1821)
  • P. r. sincipitalis Cabanis, 1883

The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society and the Clements taxonomy add two more, P. r. inornatus (Ridgway, 1887) and P. r. castilloi (Phelps Jr & Aveledo, 1987). The IOC and HBW treat those taxa as the plain thornbird (P. inornatus). Clements does group them as the "rufous-fronted thornbird (plain)".[5][6][3][4]

This article follows the four-subspecies model.

Description

The rufous-fronted thornbird is 16 to 17 cm (6.3 to 6.7 in) long and weighs about 18 to 31 g (0.63 to 1.1 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies P. r. rufifrons have a dull buff supercilium that continues past the eye, a dark brown stripe behind the eye, and dark grayish lores on an otherwise pale buff-brown face. Their forehead ("front") is dark rufous and their crown dark brownish with some paler streaks. Their upperparts are a slightly lighter dark brown. Their wings are mostly dull brown with darker brown primary coverts. Their tail is dull brown. Their underparts are mostly brownish white, with darker brownish sides, richer brownish flanks, and pale undertail coverts with a rufescent tinge. Their iris is brown to grayish white, their maxilla blackish to dark gray, their mandible gray to blue-gray, and their legs and feet gray. Juveniles do not have the rufous forehead and their underparts are mottled.[7][2]

Subspecies P. r. sincipitalis is similar to the nominate but with slightly brighter and more rufescent upperparts and flanks and slightly more rufous flight feathers. P. r. peruvianus has more but paler rufous on the forehead than the nominate, and brighter and more fulvous flanks. P. r. specularis has more and deeper rufous on the forehead than the nominate, and a largish rufous patch on the flight feathers and rufescent outer tail feathers.[7][2][8]

Distribution and habitat

The rufous-fronted thornbird has a disjunct distribution. The subspecies are found thus:[3][7]

The rufous-fronted thornbird inhabits a variety of landscapes whose common features are dense thickets and at least some trees. They include arid scrublands both lowland and montane; tropical deciduous, gallery, and secondary forest; cerrado; and savannah. In Brazil it mostly occurs below 1,300 m (4,300 ft); elsewhere it occurs locally as high as 2,000 m (6,600 ft).[7][2][8]

Behavior

Movement

The rufous-fronted thornbird is a year-round resident throughout its range.[7]

Feeding

The rufous-fronted thornbird feeds on arthropods. It usually forages in pairs or small groups that include nest helpers but only rarely joins mixed-species feeding flocks. It mostly forages on the ground but will do so as high as the forest's mid-level. It mostly gleans its prey from leaf litter but will search dead foliage in bushes.[7]

A thornbird's nest in Paraiba, Brazil

Breeding

The rufous-fronted thornbird breeds in the austral spring and summer, roughly from September to as late as April. It is thought to be monogamous and maintains the pair bond year-round. Young from previous broods sometimes remain, and help with nest building, maintenance, and defence. The species makes an extremely large nest for its own size. It constructs a cylinder of sticks (including thorny ones) that can be 2.5 m (8 ft) long and has several chambers and entrances. Often more than one nest is built in a territory, and old nests can be renovated and reused. The clutch size is two to four eggs. The incubation period and time to fledging are not known. Both parents, and helpers if present, provision nestlings.[7]

Vocalization

The rufous-fronted thornbird's song is a "rather unstructured series of very high, mewing 'stjew' notes, rising, falling, and repeating".[2] Its calls include an "extr. high, sharp 'sipsipsip-sip-' "[2] and "a sharp 'chip' or 'chek, or a metallic 'tsi'[7].

Status

The IUCN has assessed the rufous-fronted thornbird as being of Least Concern. It has a very large, though disjunct, range. Its population size is not known but is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] It is considered fairly common to common in most of its range and occurs in many protected areas. It "[t]olerates at least moderate anthropogenic habitat disturbance".[7]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Rufous-fronted Thornbird Phacellodomus rufifrons". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T103672742A93882422. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103672742A93882422.en. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  2. van Perlo, Ber (2009). A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 218. ISBN 978-0-19-530155-7.
  3. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2023). "Ovenbirds, woodcreepers". IOC World Bird List. v 13.2. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  4. HBW and BirdLife International (2022) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip retrieved December 13, 2022
  5. Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 31 May 2023. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved May 31, 2023
  6. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved November 10, 2022
  7. del Hoyo, J., J. V. Remsen, Jr., G. M. Kirwan, and N. Collar (2020). Rufous-fronted Thornbird (Phacellodomus rufifrons), 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.ruftho1.01 retrieved September 19, 2023
  8. Ridgely, Robert S.; Greenfield, Paul J. (2001). The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide. Vol. II. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 358. ISBN 978-0-8014-8721-7.
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