Bar-winged Cinclodes

Remolinera Común

Cinclodes fuscus

Length: 185mm. Sexes alike. Bill dark brown with pale yellowish brown spot at base of mandible; iris dark brown; forehead, crown, hind neck, upperparts and tail coverts brown with an olivaceous shade; tail greyish brown on central feathers, brown on remaining, tipped cinnamon and edged whitish on outer rectrices. Eyebrow whitish ochraceous, throat whitish speckled with dark brown, auriculars brown, revealing beneath a yellowish ochraceous spot; breast, flanks and undertail coverts greyish brown with small whitish ochraceous spots on breast; belly pale buff. Wing coverts as back, secondaries cinnamon ochraceous to base forming a bar that is followed by a finer blackish bar, the rest being brown; primaries with whitish ochraceous bar. Legs dark greyish brown.

Average weight: 36g. Habitat and behaviour: it frequents wetlands and fringes of ponds, swamps and lakes; it is often seen walking alone, in pairs or in small loose groups, foraging along coasts in search of food. It feeds largely on insects that are often found far from the water. It is commonly seen perched on tree trunks or posts; mostly a tame bird. The nest is made in caves and up to three white eggs are laid. Range: it is distributed through all Patagonia, where the race Cinclodes f. fuscus is found.