Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner

The Ochre-throated Foliage-gleaner, Automolus ochrolaemus, is a bird of considerable charm, belonging to the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is a fairly large member of its genus, with a robust stature and a short, heavy bill, measuring between 18 to 20 cm in length and weighing 30 to 46 grams.

Identification Tips

Adults exhibit a dark brownish face with a striking buff eyering and stripe behind the eye, faint reddish streaks on the ear coverts, and an ochraceous-buff malar area with subtle dark flecks. The crown and nape are dark brown with a faint blackish brown scallop pattern, while the back and rump transition to a rich dark brown that blends into dark chestnut uppertail coverts. The wings are a rich dark brown, with flight feathers slightly paler and more rufescent, and the tail is dark chestnut. The throat is a deep buff, the breast streaked with medium brown and ochraceous buff, and the belly is brown. Flanks are a darker, more rufescent brown, and the undertail coverts are a dull chestnut. The iris is brown to dark brown, the maxilla blackish horn, grey, or horn brown, the mandible greenish buff to grey, and the legs and feet olive, greenish brown, or greenish grey. Juveniles are slightly duller than adults, with a less pronounced eyering, a rufous tinge to the face, a chestnut tinge to the crown, and a slightly mottled throat and breast.

Habitat

This species inhabits a variety of forested landscapes, from lowland rainforests and secondary forests to transitional and seasonally flooded forests, as well as swamp forests. It can be found at elevations ranging from sea level to about 1,500 meters.

Distribution

The Ochre-throated Foliage-gleaner is found in Panama and across every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Its range is extensive, with various subspecies occupying different regions within this distribution.

Behaviour

The Ochre-throated Foliage-gleaner is a year-round resident, known for its acrobatic foraging as it gleans and pulls prey from epiphytes, debris, and particularly from clumps of dead leaves while hopping along branches and vines. It may forage alone or in pairs and often joins mixed-species feeding flocks.

Song & Calls

The song of this species is consistent among its subspecies, typically sung at dawn and dusk. It consists of a series of descending notes that vary slightly in sequence depending on the region. Calls include a nasal "rack" and a down-slurred, dry "krèeh".

Diet and Feeding

The diet consists mostly of insects, spiders, and occasionally small vertebrates like frogs. It forages from the forest's undergrowth to its mid-storey and has been observed foraging on the ground in Central America.

Conservation Status

The IUCN has assessed the pre-split "buff-throated" foliage gleaner as a whole and rated it as Least Concern. It has an extremely large range, and while the population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing, no immediate threats have been identified. It is generally considered common to fairly common within its habitat.