Large miner-like bird measuring 20–22 cm, pale overall, with a long, slender, strongly decurved bill. General sandy-brown to greyish plumage, with a pale eyebrow and finely streaked face. Throat and breast show dark scaling, more or less pronounced depending on age and subspecies; juveniles exhibit more extensive scaling. Wings grey-brown with paler edges and a dull rufous tone at the bases; tail brown to blackish with cinnamon tips and outer edges. Sexes similar. Differs from the Andean Miner (U. validirostris), with which it is sympatric in NW Argentina, by its striped face and throat pattern and extensive breast scaling, almost absent in the Andean specimen. The Patagonian Forest Miner (U. saturatior) is overall darker.
Subspecies: Hypoleuca (NW Argentina, Cuyo, and Córdoba): somewhat more rufous on wings and tail, paler ventrally, and with a relatively long bill. Occurs from Jujuy to northern Río Negro. Dumetaria (central and southern range): greyer tones and more marked breast scaling; its winter migrations reach central and northern Argentina.
Distribution: Broad distribution from southern Peru and western Bolivia to Patagonia and northern Tierra del Fuego. In Argentina present in NW Argentina, Sierras and Cuyo, Central region, Patagonia, and southern Buenos Aires province. The subspecies Dumetaria migrates northward in winter, reaching Córdoba, Santiago del Estero, Entre Ríos, southern Uruguay, and occasionally the littoral. Also performs altitudinal movements in Andean regions. General elevation 0–4000 m depending on region and subspecies.
Habitat: Typical inhabitant of rocky soils with grasslands, low shrublands, arid shrub steppes, rocky slopes, ravines, and dry zones both coastal and high-Andean. Also found in dunes, mountain valleys, and Patagonian steppe.
Behavior: Terrestrial, walks and probes the ground using its long bill. Sings from low perches such as shrubs, posts, or rocks. Song is continuous, resonant, and distinctive: a rapid, prolonged series of similar notes, with variations in speed and duration without a fixed pattern. Call is sharp and dry.
Diet: Consumes arthropods such as insects, arachnids, and their larvae, foraged almost exclusively on the ground by inserting its long bill among stones, roots, and mud.
Reproduction: Nest located at the end of a 1–2 m tunnel excavated in embankments, natural cavities, rock crevices, or rodent burrows. Nest chamber lined with grasses and fine fibers. Clutch of 2–4 white eggs.
Conservation status: Species not considered threatened. Common throughout most of its range.
Authors of this compilation: Diego Carus and Maria Belén Dri – 06/12/2025