White-throated Tree-Runner

Picolezna Patagónico

Pygarrhichas albogularis

Length: 167mm. Sexes alike. Bill dark brownish grey with mandible whitish on two thirds of its length; iris dark brown; upperparts of head, hind neck and back dark brown; back, rump and uppertail coverts chestnut; tail feathers rufous chestnut. Throat, foreneck and centre of breast white; sides of breast and flanks chestnut brown; belly and undertail coverts white with feathers margined dark brown, giving a scaly appearance. Wing coverts dark brown; remiges dark brown, tertiaries margined with chestnut, secondaries showing a fine basal chestnut bar. Legs dark brownish grey. Juvenile: similar to adults but with whitish mottling on head, neck and back. Average weight: 72g.

Similar species: its coloration, long bill, slightly upcurved, and habit of climbing are unmistakable. Habitat and behaviour: it inhabits subantarctic forests. Quite common, mostly in the company of the Thorn-tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda). It scouts the woods climbing like a woodpecker, feeding on insects and their larvae. It is also known as Comesebo (tallow eater) due to its habit of approaching houses located near the woods, where it loves to peck at strips of tallow that hang outdoors under the eaves. Very tame and trustful, its voice consists of a series of repeated notes. It nests in natural cavities in tree trunks, preferably decomposing, where up to three white eggs are laid.

Range: limited to the thin and long stretch of sub-antarctic woods, from Neuquén to Tierra del Fuego.