Conopophaga
Encyclopedia
Conopophaga is a genus of bird
s in the gnateater
family. Its members are found in forest and woodland in South America
.
stands, with most species in the Amazon Basin
, the Atlantic Forest, and the East Andean slopes. All are associated with dense thickets. While they are always found near the ground, seldom rising more than 1.5 m up, they also seldom travel or spend much time on the ground itself (though they do feed there; see diet).
They are round, short-tailed, and long-legged birds, about 12–18 cm (5-7 inches) in length. They are quite upright when standing. They are sexually dimorphic, with various shades of brown, rufous, olive, white, grey and black being the dominating colours. Most Conopophaga species have a white tuft behind the eye.
insects directly from the foliage, trunks, and branches of low vegetation. Typical prey items include spider
s, caterpillar
s, insect larvae, grasshopper
s and beetle
s; individuals of some species have also been observed eating fruit, and in one case a frog
.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s in the gnateater
Gnateater
The gnateaters are a bird family, Conopophagidae, consisting of ten small passerine species in two genera, which occur in South and Central America...
family. Its members are found in forest and woodland in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
Habitat and range
Gnateaters are birds found in the undergrowth of forest, woodland, and bambooBamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
stands, with most species in the Amazon Basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
, the Atlantic Forest, and the East Andean slopes. All are associated with dense thickets. While they are always found near the ground, seldom rising more than 1.5 m up, they also seldom travel or spend much time on the ground itself (though they do feed there; see diet).
They are round, short-tailed, and long-legged birds, about 12–18 cm (5-7 inches) in length. They are quite upright when standing. They are sexually dimorphic, with various shades of brown, rufous, olive, white, grey and black being the dominating colours. Most Conopophaga species have a white tuft behind the eye.
Diet
Gnateaters are insectivorous as the group name implies. They feed mostly using two methods; one is to perch above the forest floor until prey is spotted, then lunge down to the ground to snatch it; having landed on the ground to snatch a prey item, it will not remain on the forest floor for more than a couple of seconds. The second method used by gnateaters is to gleanGleaning (birds)
Gleaning is a term for a feeding strategy by birds in which they catch invertebrate prey, mainly arthropods, by plucking them from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses, or even, as in the case of ticks and lice, from living animals. This behavior is...
insects directly from the foliage, trunks, and branches of low vegetation. Typical prey items include spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s, caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s, insect larvae, grasshopper
Grasshopper
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
s and beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s; individuals of some species have also been observed eating fruit, and in one case a frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
.
Species list
- Rufous GnateaterRufous GnateaterThe Rufous Gnateater is a passerine bird of the gnateater family, Conopophagidae. It is found in forest understory and bushes in eastern Brazil from Rio Grande do Sul north to Ceará. Its range also extends into eastern Paraguay and north-eastern Argentina and it has recently been recorded in Uruguay...
, Conopophaga lineata- Ceará (or Caatinga) Gnateater, Conopophaga (lineata) cearae
- Chestnut-bellied Gnateater, Conopophaga aurita
- Snethlage's Gnateater, Conopophaga (aurita) snethlageae
- Hooded GnateaterHooded GnateaterThe Hooded Gnateater is a species of bird in the Conopophagidae family.It is endemic to Brazil.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Conopophaga roberti - Ash-throated GnateaterAsh-throated GnateaterThe Ash-throated Gnateater is a species of bird in the Conopophagidae family.It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Conopophaga peruviana - Slaty GnateaterSlaty GnateaterThe Slaty Gnateater is a species of bird in the Conopophagidae family.It is found in Bolivia and Peru.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Conopophaga ardesiaca - Chestnut-crowned GnateaterChestnut-crowned GnateaterThe Chestnut-crowned Gnateater is a species of bird in the Conopophagidae family.It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.-References:...
, Conopophaga castaneiceps - Black-cheeked GnateaterBlack-cheeked GnateaterThe Black-cheeked Gnateater is a species of bird in the family Conopophagidae endemic to Brazil. The male is distinguished by its orange crown, black face and white throat, while the female has brown plumage.-Taxonomy:...
, Conopophaga melanops - Black-bellied GnateaterBlack-bellied GnateaterThe Black-bellied Gnateater is a species of bird in the Conopophagidae family, the gnateaters.It is found in the southern Amazon Basin of Brazil and northwest Bolivia....
, Conopophaga melanogaster