About Cinclodes nigrofumosus (Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1838)
The Chilean seaside cinclodes, Cinclodes nigrofumosus (Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1838), measures 21 to 27 cm (8.3 to 11 in) long and weighs 63 to 67 g (2.2 to 2.4 oz). It is a large cinclodes with a straight bill, and males and females share identical plumage. Adults have a narrow pale buff or whitish supercilium on an otherwise blackish brown face. Their crown and upperparts are smoky black or blackish brown. Their wings are blackish, with a pale rufous band at the base of the flight feathers. Their tail is black, and the outer three pairs of tail feathers have pale rufous or ashy-brown tips. Their throat and the sides of the neck are white, their upper breast is smoky gray with small white or pale cinnamon dots, their lower breast is smoky gray with light cinnamon streaks, and their belly is plain smoky gray. Their iris is brown or dark brown, their bill is blackish, and it sometimes has a gray base on the mandible. Their legs and feet range from brownish gray to blackish. There is some indication that the species' plumage follows a clinal pattern, with northern individuals being somewhat paler than southern ones. This bird is found along the Chilean coast from the Arica y Parinacota Region south to the Los Ríos Region, and also lives on several nearshore islands. It inhabits the intertidal zone, and strongly favors rocky areas there.
