The pearled treerunner is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and possibly Argentina.
Region
Andes Mountains
Typical Environment
Occurs along the northern and central Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, with unconfirmed records in extreme northwest Argentina. It inhabits humid montane cloud forests, elfin forests, and Polylepis woodlands, especially in moss-laden and epiphyte-rich areas. Most commonly found from the mid- to upper-elevation zones where trees are dwarfed and branches are heavily coated in mosses and bromeliads. It tolerates forest edges and clearings with remnant trees but is most numerous in mature, undisturbed forest.
Altitude Range
1800–3800 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A small Andean furnariid, the pearled treerunner uses stiff, spiny-tipped tail feathers as a brace while it creeps along mossy trunks and branches, much like a woodpecker or nuthatch. It frequently travels with mixed-species flocks in cloud forests, where it deftly gleans insects from epiphytes and bromeliads. Its name refers to the neat, pearly scaling on the throat and breast.
Pearled treerunner M. s. perlatus in Yanacocha, Ecuador
Temperament
active and agile
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small family groups and commonly joins mixed-species foraging flocks moving through the canopy and midstory. Nests are bulky, ball-shaped structures of sticks and moss with a side tunnel, placed among epiphytes, roots on steep banks, or crevices. Pairs defend small territories within suitable forest patches.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a thin, tinkling series of high-pitched notes that accelerates into a brief trill. Calls are sharp, sibilant tseet or tsee notes used to keep contact within pairs and flocks.
