Brown-capped Whitestart

Other Common Names: Chestnut-crowned Warbler

Subspecies:

Myioborus brunniceps brunniceps, (d’ Orbigny and Lafresnaye 1837) Found in Argentina and Bolivia.

Description: Small (12 cm), confident and restless. It has a notable rufous crown with an olive back and a lead-colored back, the tail is black with white outer tail feathers (very noticeable when fanning the tail), white periocular area, yellow throat and ventral side; The beak and legs are black.

Juveniles are similar to adults but lack some notable features such as the periocular area, rufous crown (they have a completely gray head), and olive back.

Sexual Dimorphism: None, only adults can be easily differentiated from juveniles.

Geographical Distribution in Argentina: Found in Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan, Córdoba, and San Luis (De la Peña, 1999).

Habitat: Forests, woodlands, ravines, and groves, generally near watercourses. In Argentina, it can be easily observed in the Northwest; it seems to be expanding towards the south of the country, but more data and new locations will be needed to confirm this.

Behavior: Restless and exploratory, but confident, easy to observe due to its striking colors, it moves through the foliage alone or in small groups.

Nesting: Nests in alder groves and high shrublands, its nest is small and made of plant materials, where it lays three white eggs with occasional brown and purple spots.

Feeding: Insectivorous, catches its prey in flight.

Author of this description: Diego Oscar