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Summary

The chestnut-crowned gnateater (Conopophaga castaneiceps) is a species of bird in the family Conopophagidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Taxonomy and systematics

The position of the chestnut-crowned gnateater in linear format is unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and the Clements taxonomy place it differently within the gnateater family.

Four subspecies are recognized, though birds on the western slope of Colombia's Central Andes might be an unnamed taxon:

C. c. chocoensis Chapman (1915) C. c. castaneiceps Sclater (1857) C. c. chapmani Carriker (1933) C. c. brunneinucha von Berlepsch & Stolzmann (1896)

Description

The chestnut-crowned gnateater is 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) long. The mean weight of seven specimens was 27.6 g (0.97 oz). The male of the nominate subspecies has brown upper parts; a gray face, throat, and chest; and orange-brown flanks and vent area. The top of the head is orange-red and there is a white tuft behind the eye. C. c. chapmani has a brighter (less brown) crown. C. c. brunneinucha's orange-red is only the forehead; it is darker overall and has a white patch on the belly. C. c. chocoensis is similar to brunneinucha but is smaller, has less gray, has a more olive tinge to the back, and more orange-red on the crown. The female's head and chest are orange-red and the belly is whitish. The white plume behind the eye is smaller than that of the male.

Distribution and habitat

The chestnut-crowned gnateater occurs in discontinuous areas from central Colombia to south-central Peru. C. c. chocoensis is found in Colombia on the western slope of the Western Andes and in the Serranía del Baudó of western Chocó Department. C. c. castaneiceps is found in Colombia's Central and Eastern Andes and into Ecuador. C. c. chapmani is found on the east slope of the Andes from southern Ecuador to the Department of San Martín in northern Peru. C. c. brunneinucha is found on the east slope of the Peruvian Andes from Huánuco south to...