Brown trembler

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Brown trembler
Cinclocerthia ruficauda - Dominica 2001 - a.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Mimidae
Genus: Cinclocerthia
Species:
C. ruficauda
Binomial name
Cinclocerthia ruficauda
(Gould, 1836)
Cinclocerthia ruficauda map.svg

The brown trembler (Cinclocerthia ruficauda) is a species of bird in the family Mimidae, the mockingbirds and thrashers. It is found on the islands of Saba, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica and St. Vincent in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean Sea. [2] [3]

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The taxonomy of genus Cinclocerthia is not fully resolved. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) recognizes the brown trembler and the grey trembler (C. gutturalis). It divides the brown trembler into four subspecies, the nominate C. r. ruficauda, C. r. pavida, C. r. tremula, and C. r. tenebrosa. However, there is significant phylogenetic evidence that brown tremblers from Guadeloupe northwards may represent a separate species (C. tremula) from those on the other islands. Some authors consider tremula to be part of ruficauda [2] [3] [4]

Description

The nominate subspecies of brown trembler is 20.5 to 26 cm (8.1 to 10.2 in) long; males weigh 47.6 to 65.4 g (1.68 to 2.31 oz) and females 42.8 to 71 g (1.51 to 2.50 oz). The species has a long, slightly downcurved bill, the female's longer than the male's. Adults are mostly shades of brown. Their crown is a deep grayish brown, the nape less gray, the back an olive brown, and the rump and tail a reddish brown. The face is blackish through the eye with grayish olive brown cheeks. The chin and throat are pale grayish buff that becomes browner on the breast and belly. The sides and flanks are cinnamon. The juvenile is similar with faint dusky spots on the breast. [3]

C. r. pavida is larger than the nominate but is otherwise similar. C. r. tenebrosa is also similar to the nominate, but its upperparts are darker and sootier and the breast more grayish. C. r. tremula is similar to tenebrosa but much larger. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Subspecies C. r. pavida of the brown trembler is the most widely distributed; it is found in the northern Lesser Antilles from Saba south to Montserrat. C. r. tremula is restricted to Guadeloupe, the nominate C. r. ruficauda to Dominica, and C. r. tenebrosa to St. Vincent. [2] [3]

The brown trembler mostly inhabits humid evergreen forest but is also found in secondary forest and plantations. In elevation it ranges from sea level to about 900 m (3,000 ft). [3]

Behavior

Tremblers derive their name from a typical behavior "in which the wings both are drooped and angled slightly away from the body...making very rapid vertical and lateral motions. [3]

Feeding

The brown trembler forages on the ground, in the understory, and in the midstory. It tosses leaves with its bill and more typically probes epiphytes, gaps between vines and trunks, and clusters of dead leaves. Its diet includes a wide variety of fruit, arthropods, and small vertebrates. [3]

Breeding

Little is known about the brown trembler's breeding phenology. It apparently breeds in March and April. The only documented nest was in a coconut palm, "cup-shaped and ... composed of rootlets, lined with finer rootlets and dead leaves". [3]

Vocalization

The brown trembler's principal song is "a series of variable loud phrases ranging in quality from 'rather harsh, others rich and warbled, still others high and squeaky'" It also has "subsongs" delivered less frequently. A common call is "a nasal, rasping yeeeah, often repeated many times". [3]

Status

The IUCN has assessed the brown trembler as being of Least Concern. [1] However, its population size and trend have not been determined and "it is likely that further deforestation and conversion to plantations or other human settlement will result in a population decrease." [3]

Related Research Articles

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The mimids are the New World family of passerine birds, Mimidae, that includes thrashers, mockingbirds, tremblers, and the New World catbirds. As their name suggests, these birds are notable for their vocalization, especially some species' remarkable ability to mimic a wide variety of birds and other sounds heard outdoors.

California thrasher Species of passerine bird found in chaparral habitats

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Trembler Genus of birds

Tremblers are a New World group of passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the family Mimidae. There are 2-4 species in one genus, Cinclocerthia, which is endemic to the Lesser Antilles:

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Antillean crested hummingbird Species of bird

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The white-tailed nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in the "ABC Islands", Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Martinique, Panama, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

Cuban nightjar Species of bird

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Violaceous quail-dove Species of bird

The violaceous quail-dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Bare-faced ground dove Species of bird

The bare-faced ground dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.

Forest thrush Species of bird

The forest thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It was historically the sole species within the genus Cichlherminia, however the AOU reclassified the species to the genus Turdus in 2009.

Grey trembler Species of bird

The grey trembler is a songbird species in the family Mimidae, the mockingbirds and thrashers. It is found only on Martinique and Saint Lucia in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean Sea.

Sepia-brown wren Species of bird

The sepia-brown wren or Sharpe's wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Scaly-breasted thrasher Species of bird

The scaly-breasted thrasher is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is found throughout much of the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean Sea.

Stripe-throated wren Species of bird

The stripe-throated wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.

Fantastic least gecko Species of lizard

The fantastic least gecko, or fantastic sphaero is a species of gecko found in the Caribbean, on the islands of Dominica, Montserrat, and the Guadeloupe archipelago.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2018). "Brown Trembler Cinclocerthia ruficauda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (July 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 11.2)" . Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Sibbald, E. (2020). Brown Trembler (Cinclocerthia ruficauda), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.brotre1.01 retrieved August 3, 2021
  4. ↑ Hunt, Jeffrey S.; Bermingham, Eldredge; Ricklefs, Robert E. (2001). "Molecular systematics and biogeography of Antillean Thrashers, Tremblers, and Mockingbirds" (PDF). The Auk . 118 (1): 35–55. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
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