Star-throated antwren

The star-throated antwren (Rhopias gularis) is an insectivorous bird in the antbird family Thamnophilidae. It is endemic to the Atlantic Forest region of southeast Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Star-throated antwren
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Thamnophilidae
Genus: Rhopias
Cabanis & Heine, 1859
Species:
R. gularis
Binomial name
Rhopias gularis
(von Spix, 1825)
Synonyms

Myrmotherula gularis

Taxonomy

The star-throated antwren was described and illustrated by the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix in 1825 and given the binomial name Thamnophilus gularis.[2] It was subsequently placed with the "stipple-throated group" in the genus Myrmotherula. When a morphological and genetic analysis published in 2012 found that the star-throated antwren was not closely related to other species in Myrmotherula it was moved to the monotypic genus Rhopias which had originally been erected by the German ornithologists Jean Cabanis and Ferdinand Heine in 1860.[3][4][5] The type species is the star-throated antwren.[6] The name of the genus comes from the Ancient Greek word rhōps meaning "bush".[7]

Description

The star-throated antwren is 8.5–9.5 cm (3.3–3.7 in) in length and weighs 10–12 g (0.35–0.42 oz). The male has rufous-brown upperparts, tail and crissum. The forehead is greyish. The wing-coverts are black-brown with two buff bars. The throat is black with white spots. The breast and belly are grey. The female is similar in appearance to the male but has a rufous-brown forehead and larger spots on the throat.[8]

Distribution and habitat

The star-throated antwren occurs at altitudes of between 300 and 1,500 m (980 and 4,920 ft) in the Atlantic Forest region of south east Brazil. The range extends from the southern coastal area of Bahia to the north-eastern corner of Rio Grande do Sul.[9]

Behaviour

Breeding

The open cup-shaped nest is suspended from slender horizontal stems and placed at around 50 cm (20 in) above the ground, often near water. It is built from fine rootlets, fungal fibers and pieces of dried leaves. The clutch is invariably two eggs. These have a white background covered with reddish-brown spots and blotches. The average size of an egg is 19.0 mm × 14.5 mm (0.75 in × 0.57 in) with a weight of 2.2 g (0.078 oz).[10] The eggs are incubated by both parents and hatch after around 17 days. The nestlings are cared for both parents and fledge after 11 days.[11]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Rhopias gularis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22701463A93830926.en.
  2. von Spix, Johann Baptist (1825). Avium species novae, quas in itinere per Brasiliam annis MDCCCXVII-MDCCCXX (in Latin). Volume 2. Monachii (Munich): Typis Franc. Seraph. Hübschmanni. p. 30, Plate 41 fig. 2.
  3. Belmonte-Lopes, R.; Bravo, G.A.; Bornschein, M.R.; Maurício, G.; Pie, M.R.; Brumfield, R.T. (2012). "Genetic and morphological data support placement of Myrmotherula gularis (Spix) in the monotypic genus Rhopias Cabanis and Heine (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae)". Zootaxa. 3451: 1–16. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3451.1.1.
  4. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2017). "Antbirds". World Bird List Version 8.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  5. Cabanis, Jean; Heine, Ferdinand (1860). Museum Heineanum : Verzeichniss der ornithologischen Sammlung des Oberamtmann Ferdinand Heine, auf Gut St. Burchard vor Halberstadt (in German and Latin). Volume 2. Halberstadt: R. Frantz. p. 13.
  6. Dickinson, E.C.; Christidis, L., eds. (2014). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-9568611-2-2.
  7. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 335. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  8. Zimmer, K.; Isler, M.L.; Kirwan, G.M. (2018). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Star-throated Antwren (Rhopias gularis)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  9. Ridgely, Robert S.; Tudor, Guy (2009). Birds of South America: Passerines. Helm Field Guides. London: Christopher Helm. p. 342. ISBN 978-1-408-11342-4.
  10. Perrella, D.F.; Biagolini-Júnior, C.H.; Ribeiro-Silva, L.; Zima, P.V.Q.; Galetti, P.M. Jr.; Francisco, M.R. (2015). "Nest, eggs, and nestlings of the Atlantic Forest endemic Star-throated Antwren (Rhopias gularis)". Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 127 (2): 319–323. doi:10.1676/wils-127-02-319-323.1. S2CID 85930491.
  11. Perrella, D.F.; Biagolini Junior, C.H.; Ribeiro-Silva, L.; Zima, P.V.Q.; Francisco, M.R. (2017). "Reproduction of the Atlantic Forest endemic star-throated antwren, Rhopias gularis (Aves: Thamnophilidae)". Brazilian Journal of Biology. 77 (2): 356–360. doi:10.1590/1519-6984.14715. PMID 27579975.
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