16–18 cm. Small long-billed and slightly curved-billed miner with reddish-brown tones, heavily scaled breast and flanks, and a pale ochre eyebrow. Tail entirely rufous and uniform, without black. It differs from the Straight-billed Miner (O. ruficaudus) by its shorter, slightly curved bill, tail lacking a dark center, and more marked scaling on breast and flanks.
Geographic distribution: Southern Bolivia, extreme NE Chile, and northwestern Argentina in Jujuy, Salta, and northern Catamarca between 2,600–4,500 m. Marginal in Tucumán with few records.
Habitat: Andean arid shrublands, rocky slopes, ravines along watercourses, high Andean steppes with rock outcrops and scattered shrubs. Common on rocky walls and gorges with low vegetation.
Behavior: Mostly solitary; searches for prey among crevices, rocks, and ground. Very terrestrial, walking and hopping among stones, often holding its tail at a moderately raised angle. Its voice is a series of sharp, tense whistles “juiiit… juiiit…”, plus clicking sounds “clik-clik” and an alarm call “uiit uiit”, similar to a mouse.
Diet: Arthropods captured on rocky ground, ravines, and bases of shrubs. Feeds alone, using an active and continuous search method.
Breeding: Nest located at the end of a 0.4–1 m tunnel excavated in ravines, banks, or crevices among rocks. Small chamber lined with plant fibers, grasses, and some feathers. Lays 2 white eggs.
Conservation status: Not threatened. Uncommon to frequent, though restricted to a localized and limited habitat.
Authors of this compilation: Diego Carus and Maria Belén Dri – 06/12/2025