Straight-billed Earthcreeper Ochetorhynchus ruficaudus Scientific name definitions

Of the four Ochetorhynchus, the Straight-billed is the most widespread, although it is seldom all that common. It is similar to the Rock Earthcreeper (Ochetorhynchus andaecola) and found with it in some places, but the Straight-billed is indeed straighter-billed and tends to cock its tail much more strongly, almost straight up! Below the Straight-billed has a contrasting white throat and supercilium, and the buffy underparts look pale streaked; the tail has dark inner vanes making the tail look rufous with dark stripes towards the tip. It is found in arid and vegetatively simple habitats, often rocky slopes. In northern Chile it is one of the few birds that is found right where the first vegetation begins at the transition between absolute desert, and montane shrub steppe, some sites may have next to no vegetation present! Curiously farther south it is found even in alpine sites, that are moister but still vegetatively simple.

16–19 cm; 28–41 g. Medium-sized earthcreeper with long, very slightly decurved bill . Nominate race has narrow whitish supercilium , black eyestripe, rest of face dull brownish with some paler flammulations; crown brown, slightly mottled, blending to rufescent brown back and rump, with uppertail-coverts dark rufescent (upperparts darker, less reddish, in S of range); wings slightly more rufescent than back, more rufous at base of remiges; tail almost square, central rectrices rufous at base, blending to blackish tips, other rectrices mostly blackish-brown on inner webs, dark rufous on outer webs, outer rectrices nearly all rufous; throat and malar area whitish, breast whitish with indistinct diffuse dull brownish streaking, most prominent at sides; belly and flanks pale rufescent brownish, whitish streaking vanishing posteriorly, undertail-coverts tawny; iris brown; bill black or blackish-brown, base of mandible often whitish horn-coloured; tarsus and toes black or blackish-brown. Sexes alike. Juvenile is tinged rufous throughout, with pale edgings on crown and back feathers. Race <em>montanus</em> has whiter throat and breast, conspicuously streaked sides and flanks, darker belly; famatinae differs from nominate in slightly darker back, darker flanks and undertail-coverts, more contrasting whiter breast.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Arid montane scrub at 1800–4300 m, locally down to 1300 m; inhabits rocky arid slopes and ravines, especially near large boulders, with scattered bushes and bunch-grass.

Arthropods  , gleaned and extracted from ground. Usually forages solitarily.

Song a fast series of strained, complaining  , chattering “pu” notes, rising into 2–3 loud “pee” notes, lasts 10 seconds or more; call a sharp “kweep” or “wheet”.

Season evidently during austral summer; eggs in Nov–Dec, fledglings in Nov–Jan and nestlings in Feb in Argentina; eggs in Nov–Dec in Chile. Presumably monogamous. Nest at end of tunnel c. 0·5–0·7 m long in rocky crevice or bank, floor of nest-chamber padded with grass, hair and feathers . Clutch 2 eggs.

Not globally threatened. Fairly common throughout range. Habitat reasonably safe from anthropogenic disturbances, except overgrazing. Recently reported from Santa Cruz province, S Argentina (3 Roesler, I., Imberti, S., Casañas, H.E., Hernández, P.M., Klavins, J.M. and Pagano, L.G. (2014). Noteworthy records and natural history comments on rare and threatened bird species from Santa Cruz province, Patagonia, Argentina. Rev. Bras. Orn. 22(2): 189–200. Close ).