Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...

Beautiful Treerunner

Margarornis bellulus

The beautiful treerunner, Margarornis bellulus, is a modestly sized bird, measuring 14 to 15 cm in length and weighing between 18 to 19 grams. Exhibiting no sexual dimorphism, both male and female share the same plumage. This bird is adorned with a buffish-white supercilium that stretches to the nape, a subtle reddish-brown line behind the eye, and dark brown ear coverts with delicate whitish streaks. A dark brown "moustache" marked with white spots that transition into stripes towards the neck adds to its distinctive appearance. The crown is olive brown, while the upperparts and wing coverts are a warm olive-brown. The flight feathers are dark fuscous with tawny-ochraceous edges, and the tail is a dull reddish brown with a unique spiny appearance due to the lack of barbs at the ends of the tail feathers. The throat is whitish, transitioning to rufescent brown underparts. The upper breast features whitish oval spots encircled by dark brown, which become narrow stripes on the belly. The bird's iris is brown, the maxilla brownish, the mandible pinkish, and the legs and feet are a gray hue.

Identification Tips

When identifying the beautiful treerunner, look for its distinctive buffish-white supercilium and the spiny appearance of its tail. The bird's unique pattern of white spots and stripes on the upper breast and belly can also aid in identification.

Habitat

This species is a denizen of montane evergreen forests, typically found at elevations between 1,350 and 1,600 meters, though it can occasionally be spotted as low as 900 meters.

Distribution

Endemic to Panama, the beautiful treerunner's range is disjunct within the country, occurring in the Serranía de Majé of Panamá Province and several ranges in the extreme east of Darién Province.

Behaviour

The beautiful treerunner is a permanent resident within its range. It is known for its acrobatic foraging behavior in the subcanopy of the forest, where it gleans arthropods from branches and epiphytes, sometimes even while hanging upside down.

Song & calls

As of the latest data, there is only a single recording of the beautiful treerunner's call available, with no known recordings of its song.

Breeding

Currently, there is no information available regarding the breeding biology of the beautiful treerunner.

Similar Species

While there has been some debate, the beautiful treerunner is not conspecific or a sister species to the pearled treerunner, as previously suggested by some authors.

Diet and Feeding

The beautiful treerunner's diet consists primarily of arthropods. It is often observed foraging within mixed-species feeding flocks.

Conservation status

The IUCN has classified the beautiful treerunner as Near Threatened. Its range is very small, and while the population size is unknown, it is believed to be stable. However, habitat loss due to mining, agriculture, and coca cultivation, as well as potential vulnerability to global climate change, pose significant threats to this species. Notably, all known locations of this bird in Darién Province are within the protected bounds of Darién National Park.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

More Ovenbirds

A photo of a Austral Canastero (Asthenes anthoides)

Austral Canastero

Asthenes anthoides
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Emma L
App got me interested in birding!
Super friendly community <3 This app got me interested in birding! It teaches me cool stuff and its super friendly, and fun :) The species guide is really developing my knowledge, and i love seeing cool new birds from round the world!
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
Pdydhdrexgi
Fantastic App
This is a really lovely app, for everyone interested in birds - from newbies to old hands. There is a very friendly feel to the community and you will genuinely learn a lot as you record your sightings and photos. There are lots of badges and competitions to keep you engaged, and a host of really useful features.
Louise L
Easy to use and accurate
Love this app. It is easy to use and accurate, Their backup communication is really good. I noted a missing species. All through the process, I was kept informed about the progress in correcting the information. I now have the corrected, updated version. 😁 Thanks!
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
Erna M
I really like Birda
I really like Birda. I also use other birding apps and have Birda with E-bird going at the same time.
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
Nedz53
Really useful
Downloaded to give it a try, everything worked perfectly, recorded my first bird watching walk. Very impressed. Have already recommended to friends!
Tralisalandhoop
Fantastic app - Love it!
Love this app and have used it almost daily. Lots of species information and easy to use. Love seeing birds spotted by other users in the UK and worldwide.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.