Grallaria ruficapilla Lafresnaye, 1842

Genus Characteristics

Grallaria antpittas, including the chestnut-crowned antpitta (Grallaria ruficapilla), form a distinctive group of plump, round antbirds that often hold their feathers fluffed up, with stout bills and very short tails.

Size Measurements

The chestnut-crowned antpitta measures 18 to 23 cm (7.1 to 9.1 in) in length and weighs 70 to 98 g (2.5 to 3.5 oz). Males and females have identical plumage.

Nominate Subspecies Plumage

Adults of the nominate subspecies G. r. ruficapilla have a rufous crown, nape, and face. Their back, rump, tail, and wings are olivaceous. Their throat, breast, and belly are white; some breast feathers have ochraceous edges, and their sides (and sometimes their breast) have olivaceous and blackish streaks.

G. r. perijana Traits

The other recognized subspecies differ from the nominate and each other in the following ways: G. r. perijana has somewhat heavier and darker breast streaking than the nominate, though less streaking than avilae and nigrolineata, and an ochraceous-orange tint to its breast and upper belly.

G. r. avilae Traits

G. r. avilae has heavier and darker breast streaking than the nominate, along with a brighter crown and nape and paler greenish olive upperparts.

G. r. nigrolineata Traits

G. r. nigrolineata has heavier and darker breast streaking than the nominate.

G. r. connectens Traits

G. r. connectens has lighter upperparts than the nominate, whitish lores, an olivaceous tint to its flight feathers, more fulvous underparts, and less heavy streaking.

G. r. albiloris Traits

G. r. albiloris matches the nominate in most traits, but has white lores, a white "moustache" stripe, and some white on the ear coverts.

G. r. interior Traits

G. r. interior has lighter, more brownish olive streaks on the breast, sides, and flanks than the nominate, and the center of its breast is more strongly orange-ochraceous.

Shared Soft Part Features

All subspecies have a brown or dark brown iris, a black bill with a gray base on the lower mandible, and pale blue-gray legs and feet.

Nominate Subspecies Range

The chestnut-crowned antpitta has a disjunct distribution, with each subspecies occupying a separate range: G. r. ruficapilla is found across all three Andean ranges in Colombia, and extends south through Ecuador to the country's northern and central regions (not southwestern Ecuador).

G. r. perijana Range

G. r. perijana occurs in Serranía del Perijá in extreme northern Colombia, ranging slightly into western Venezuela.

G. r. avilae Range

G. r. avilae lives in the Venezuelan Coastal Range between Lara and Miranda states.

G. r. nigrolineata Range

G. r. nigrolineata inhabits the Andes of Venezuela between northern Trujillo and northern Táchira states.

G. r. connectens Range

G. r. connectens is restricted to El Oro and Loja provinces in southwestern Ecuador.

G. r. albiloris Range

G. r. albiloris is found on the western slope of the northwestern Peruvian Andes, in Piura, Cajamarca, and Lambayeque departments.

G. r. interior Range

G. r. interior occurs in north-central Peru, in Amazonas and San Martín departments.

Habitat Types

This species occupies a wide variety of landscapes, including subtropical and tropical semi-humid and humid montane forest, open woodlands, and secondary forest. It can be found in unbroken forest interior, at forest edges, and in somewhat open areas within forest created by disturbances like fallen trees.

Habitat Associations

It is strongly associated with Chusquea bamboo in areas where bamboo grows. It can also survive in some human-modified habitats, including areas of mixed pasture and scrubland.

Elevation Range

Its elevation range varies by country: it occurs between 1,200 and 3,000 m (3,900 and 9,800 ft) in Colombia, mostly between 1,900 and 3,100 m (6,200 and 10,200 ft) in Ecuador, between 1,200 and 3,100 m (3,900 and 10,200 ft) in Peru, and between 1,300 and 3,000 m (4,300 and 9,800 ft) in Venezuela.