| Elegant crescentchest | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Melanopareiidae |
| Genus: | Melanopareia |
| Species: | M. elegans |
| Binomial name | |
| Melanopareia elegans (Lesson, 1844) | |
 | |
The elegant crescentchest (Melanopareia elegans) is a species of bird in the family Melanopareiidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. [2]
The crescentchests (genus Melanopareia) were previously included in family Rhinocryptidae, the tapaculos. A 2010 publication confirmed earlier work and created their present genus. [3] [4] The elegant crescentchest and the Marañón crescentchest (Melanopareia maranonica) might form a superspecies. [3] Two subspecies of elegant crescentchest are recognized, the nominate Melanopareia elegans elegans and M. e. paucalensis.
The elegant crescentchest is 14.5 cm (5.7 in) long. Males weigh 16.0 to 20.2 g (0.56 to 0.71 oz) and females 15.5 to 19.0 g (0.55 to 0.67 oz) Males of both subspecies have a black crown, nape, and mask and a creamy supercilium. The back and rump are olive-brown. Its throat is white or pale buff that is darker around the margins and a black "bib" is below it. The upper chest is dark chestnut fading to tawny on the flanks and belly. The nominate female is similar, but the crown is sooty and there is no dark chestnut on the chest. The female M. e. paucalensis is like the nominate except that its crown is the same olive-brown as the back. [5]
The elegant crescentchest is found discontinuously along the coast of Ecuador from Manabí Province south into Peru as far south as the Department of La Libertad. The nominate is in Ecuador and M. e. paucalensis is in Peru, and birds in far southern Ecuador might be intergrades between the two subspecies. Its principal habitat is scrub and undergrowth in semi-arid woodland; it can also be found in more humid disturbed areas. In Ecuador it ranges from near sea level usually to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) and locally to 2,400 m (7,900 ft). It Peru it reaches only as high as 1,700 m (5,600 ft). [5]
The elegant crescentchest's diet has not been reported. It forages alone by hopping through dense cover on and near the ground. [5]
Almost nothing is known about the elegant crescentchest's breeding phenology. Three nests have been described. They were constructed of dry strips of cactus and weeds, were enclosed with a side entrance, and hidden on the ground. [5]
The elegant crescentchest's song is "a series of..."chuck" notes" . Its scold call is "a dry penetrating churr" . [5]
The IUCN has assessed the elegant crescentchest as being of Least Concern. [1] Though it has a somewhat restricted range, it occurs in several protected areas and tolerates habitat disturbance. [5]
The rusty-belted tapaculo, Liosceles thoracicus, is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The crescentchests are a genus, Melanopareia, of birds from South America. The genus has long been placed with the tapaculos in the family Rhinocryptidae. Their placement there has been questioned and in 2007 the genus was placed in its own family, Melanopareiidae, by the South American Classification Committee. Subsequently, the family was accepted by the International Ornithological Congress Bird List and the Clements Checklist. The family Melanopareiidae was formally erected in 2009.
The Marañón crescentchest is a species of bird in the family Melanopareiidae. It is found in southern Ecuador and northern Peru.
The olive-crowned crescentchest is a species of bird in the family Melanopareiidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay.
The collared crescentchest is a species of bird in the family Melanopareiidae. It is found in Brazil and Paraguay.
Tschudi's tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Peru.
The white-crowned tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The Bolivian tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Bolivia and Peru.
The Paramo tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in the Andes of Ecuador and southern Colombia.
The Chocó tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.
The rufous-vented tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Peru.
The pale-bellied tapaculo, also known as the matorral tapaculo or rufous-rumped tapaculo, is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.
The blackish tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The Mérida tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Venezuela.
The long-tailed tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in the eastern Andes of Colombia, Ecuador and far northern Peru.
The trilling tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Bolivia and Peru.
Spillmann's tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Formicariidae. It inhabits the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador.
The double-collared crescentchest is a species of bird in the family Melanopareiidae. It is found in eastern Bolivia.
The Utcubamba tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae that the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society split from blackish tapaculo in July 2020. It is endemic to Peru.
The Loja tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae that the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) accepted as a new species in July 2020. It had been classified as a subspecies of paramo tapaculo. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
