Chestnut-throated huet-huet
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The chestnut-throated huet-huet (Pteroptochos castaneus) is a large passerine bird of the family Rhinocryptidae. At an average mass of Script error: No such module "convert"., it is, with the related black-throated huet-huet, the largest rhinocryptid and the third-heaviest tracheophone suboscine behind the giant and great antpittas.[1] It is a stockily-built bird, averaging Script error: No such module "convert". in length[1] with a predominantly dark brown plumage except for a dark red throat and a pale buff bar on its wind – lacking in the black-throated species. For many decades intense debate existed as to whether these two were one species or two,[2] but molecular studies in the 1990s demonstrated that the two species had been separated since before the Patagonian Ice Sheet first formed in southern Chile.[3]
The species is found in temperate forest of Nothofagus species and Austrocedrus chilensis[4] on the humid fringe of the Mediterranean climate zone of Chile, chiefly in Biobío, Maule and parts of O'Higgins Regions, and also in a small adjacent area of Neuquén Province in Argentina.
The species sometimes occurs in exotic Pinus radiata plantations, but only if there is a dense understory of shrubs, as it cannot move across habitat without dense understory as shown by a study of the fragmented Maulino forest.[5] The Chestnut-Throated Huet-Huet feeds on insects and their larvae, and also a substantial number of seeds and fruit,[6] which it digs for in the forest floor with its long claws. It may be important in the dispersal of certain forest plants.[7]
Breeding occurs in spring between September and December, but the burrows ordinarily used to nest are dug during the winter rainy season when the soil is loosest.[2] The burrows can be as much as Script error: No such module "convert". deep and contain two oval white eggs, which are very large for the bird's size, typically averaging Script error: No such module "convert". long and Script error: No such module "convert". wide with a mass of Script error: No such module "convert".. It is believed both sexes incubate the eggs (as is usual for tracheophone suboscines), but the incubation period is not documented.
The huet-huets are well known for their vocalisations, and the song of the chestnut-throated huet-huet is a series of resonant "hoots"[8] that unlike its more southerly counterpart, is typically given as a duet between pairs.[1] The song is higher, softer and faster than the black-throated species,[8] and the call is a "wehk, wehk, wehk" given in alarm.
References
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- ↑ a b c del hoyo, Joseph; Elliott, Andrew and Christie, David; Handbook of the Birds of the World: Volume 8 – Broadbills to Tapaculos; p. 765. Template:ISBN
- ↑ a b Johnson, Alfredo William; The Birds of Chile and Adjacent Regions of Argentina, Peru and Bolivia (volume II), pp. 201-210.
- ↑ Chesser, R. Terry; ‘Molecular Systematics of the Rhinocryptid Genus Pteroptochos’; The Condor, vol. 101, no. 2 (May 1999); pp. 439-446
- ↑ Meynard, Christine N.; Howell, Christine A. and Quinn, James F.; ‘Comparing alternative systematic conservation planning strategies against a politically driven conservation plan’; Biodiversity conservation, 18 (2009); pp. 3061-3083
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Correa Rueda, Alejandro and Figueroa, Javier A.; ‘Observaciones de agresividad y territorialidad entre especies de Rhinocryptidae en un fragmento de bosque templado húmedo del sur de Chile’ (‘Observations of aggressiveness and territoriality among species of Rhinocryptidae in a rain forest fragment in Southern Chile’); Ornithologia Neotropical, 14 (2003); pp. 121-125
- ↑ del Hoyo, Elliott and Christie; Handbook of the Birds of the World (volume 8); p. 758
- ↑ a b Howell, Steve N.G. and Webb, Sophie; ‘Species status of the chestnut-throated huet-huet Pteroptochus castaneus’; Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club, vol. 115 (1995), pp. 171-177
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