Grey-bellied Shrike-Tyrant

Gaucho Común

Agriornis microptera

Length: 260mm. Sexes alike. Bill dark brown with grey mandible; iris brown; upper part of head, auriculars, hind neck and above greyish brown; very small supercilium whitish buff; throat whitish with black streaks; foreneck, breast and flanks light greyish brown; belly and undertail coverts buff cream. Wing coverts as back with whitish margins to feathers; rectrices blackish brown with a white line on outer vexillum on both sides of tail. Legs blackish. Average weight: 60g.

Habitat and behaviour: an arid bushy steppe dweller, found singly or in pairs; silent by nature, it remains perched quietly on protruding branches from where it observes the surroundings seeking insects and small animals. Its flight is markedly undulating. A whistle-like sound is uttered only during the breeding season.

This bird builds its nest among the bushes, a construction made with twigs. The eggs, numbering one to three, are white with chestnut spots on the thick end. Range: the race Agriornis microptera microptera is widely distributed along the shrubby arid steppes, from Neuquén and Río Negro to southern Santa Cruz.