The trilling gnatwren (Ramphocaenus melanurus), formerly long-billed gnatwren, is a very small
bird in the
gnatcatcher family. It found from southeast Mexico south to Ecuador and
Amazonia.
Taxonomy
The trilling gnatwren was described by the French ornithologist
Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1819 from a specimen collected in Brazil. He coined the
binomial nameRamphocaenus melanurus.[2] The genus name Ramphocaenus means "unusual beak", from the Ancient Greek rhamphos (ῥάµϕος, "beak")[3] and cænos (καινός, "strange").[4] The
specific epithet combines the
Ancient Greekmelas "black" and oura "tail".[5] A
molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that two
subspecies of Ramphocaenus melanurus formed a separate
clade.[6] The subspecies were split off to become the
chattering gnatwren and the English name of this species was changed from "long-billed gnatwren" to "trilling gnatwren".[7]
R. m. pallidusTodd, 1913 – Zulia Valley (north central Colombia) and west Venezuela
R. m. trinitatisLesson, R, 1839 – east Colombia to north Venezuela, Trinidad
R. m. albiventris Sclater, PL, 1883 – east Venezuela, the Guianas and north Brazil
R. m. duidaeZimmer, JT, 1937 – northeast Ecuador to south Venezuela
R. m. badius Zimmer, JT, 1937 – northeast Peru and southeast Ecuador
R. m. amazonumHellmayr, 1907 – east Peru to north central Brazil
R. m. austerus Zimmer, JT, 1937 – east Brazil south of the Amazon
R. m. melanurusVieillot, 1819 – east central Brazil
Description
Adult trilling gnatwrens are 12–13 cm (4.7–5.1 in) in length and weigh 8–11 g (0.28–0.39 oz).[8] They have a long, thin
bill and a short cocked tail. The upperparts are grey-brown, with rufous on the sides of the head. The throat is white, shading to buff on the rest of the underparts. The tail is black with white tips to all but the central feathers, and is frequently wagged. R. m. trinitatis, of eastern
Colombia,
Venezuela and
Trinidad has paler underparts, and buff flanks and head sides.
The call is a trilled drdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdr.
Habitat
It is found in the undergrowth and vines of dry forest and secondary
woodland from
Mexico south to
Peru and
Brazil, and on
Trinidad.
Behaviour
Breeding
Trilling gnatwrens build a deep cup nest very low in a small plant or sapling. The two white eggs are incubated by both parents for 16–17 days to hatching, with a further 11–12 days to fledging.
Feeding
Trilling gnatwrens forage actively in vegetation, eating mainly
insects, insect eggs and
spiders. They usually occur in pairs or family groups.
^Jobling, James A. (2010). Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. A & C Black. p. 330.
ISBN978-1-4081-2878-7. Gr. rhamphos bill; kainos novel, strange.
^Jobling, J.A. (2019). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.).
"Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
^Atwood, J.; Lerman, S. (2019). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Long-billed Gnatwren (Ramphocaenus melanurus)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
Further reading
Skutch, Alexander F. (1960).
"Long-billed gnatwren"(PDF). Life Histories of Central American Birds II. Pacific Coast Avifauna, Number 34. Berkeley, California: Cooper Ornithological Society. pp. 54–61.