The
three-striped warbler (
Basileuterus tristriatus) is a species of bird in the family Parulidae. It was previously considered conspecific with the Tacarcuna warbler and the black-eared warbler. It inhabits the northern Andes, from Venezuela to Peru. The Yungas warbler (
Basileuterus punctipectus) was previously considered a subspecies.
Taxonomy: The three-striped warbler was formally described in 1844 by the Swiss naturalist Johann Jakob von Tschudi under the binomial name
Myiodioctes tristriatus based on a specimen collected in Peru. The specific epithet is Modern Latin meaning "three-striped" or "three-streaked" from Latin
tri- meaning "three-" and "striatus" meaning "striated". The type locality was restricted to Vitoc, Department of Junín in central Peru by the Austrian ornithologist Carl Eduard Hellmayr in 1935. The three-striped warbler is now one of 12 species placed in the genus
Basileuterus that was introduced in 1848 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis. The genus name is from Ancient Greek βασιλευτερος/
basileuteros meaning "more kingly".
Eight subspecies are recognised:
- B. t. daedalus Bangs, 1908 – west Colombia and west Ecuador
- B. t. sanlucasensis Salaman, 2015 – central north Colombia
- B. t. auricularis Sharpe, 1885 – central Colombia to west Venezuela
- B. t. meridanus Sharpe, 1885 – northwest Venezuela
- B. t. bessereri Hellmayr, 1922 – north Venezuela
- B. t. pariae Phelps, WH & Phelps, WH Jr, 1949 – northeast Venezuela
- B. t. baezae Chapman, 1924 – central east Ecuador
- B. t. tristriatus (Tschudi, 1844) – south Ecuador to central Peru
The three-striped warbler measures 13 cm in length. It is mostly olive-brown with a buffy belly and underparts. It has distinct black and white striping on the head and a dark cheek. Male and female three-striped warblers have similar plumages.
Their song is a rapid series of squeaky chirps.
Distribution and habitat: It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and heavily degraded former forest. The three-striped warbler typically forages on the ground, especially near riparian areas.