The black-throated thistletail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Bolivia.
Region
Central Andes (Bolivia)
Typical Environment
Occurs along the east Andean slopes of Bolivia, mainly in humid montane forests, elfin forest, and dense Chusquea bamboo thickets. Favors forest edges, shrubby clearings, and steep ravines with tangled understory. It is most frequently encountered in the Bolivian Yungas but can range into adjacent intermontane valleys where moisture and shrub cover persist. Often local but can be fairly common where suitable bamboo is abundant.
Altitude Range
2000–3800 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A skulking furnariid of high Andean undergrowth, the black-throated thistletail keeps its long, ragged tail cocked as it threads through dense bamboo and shrubbery. It often joins mixed-species flocks but is most easily detected by its buzzy, accelerating trill. Formerly placed in the genus Schizoeaca, it is now treated within Asthenes.
Temperament
skulking and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between dense cover
Social Behavior
Usually in pairs or small family groups, moving low to mid-levels within dense understory. Frequently associates with mixed-species flocks of montane insectivores. Presumed monogamous; nests are placed low in dense vegetation or bamboo, where both adults attend the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A buzzy, accelerating trill or series of sharp notes that quicken and then fade, often delivered from concealed perches within bamboo. Calls include dry chips and tics used to keep contact in thick cover.
Plumage
Warm brown upperparts with rufous wings and a long, ragged, rufous-tinged tail; grayish-brown head with a pale buff supercilium. The throat is distinctly black, contrasting with a buffy to grayish breast lightly streaked or mottled. Underparts become warmer and more rufescent toward the flanks and undertail.
Diet
Feeds primarily on small arthropods such as beetles, caterpillars, spiders, and other soft-bodied insects. Gleans from leaves, bamboo culms, and mossy branches, and probes into leaf litter and clumps of epiphytes. Occasionally snatches prey during short sallies within dense vegetation.
Preferred Environment
Dense bamboo stands, shrubby forest edges, and mossy understory of humid montane forests. Forages from near ground level up to mid-understory where cover is thick.
