The puna miner is a passerine bird in the subfamily Sclerurinae, the leaftossers and miners, of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.
Region
Central Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs in the high Andean puna of Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile, and northwestern Argentina. It favors open, windswept habitats such as stony plains, gravelly slopes, sparse tussock grasslands, and the margins of salt flats and bofedales. Vegetation is typically low and scattered, providing open ground for foraging. It also uses road cuts, embankments, and eroded banks for burrow nesting.
Altitude Range
3500–5200 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Puna Miner is an Andean ovenbird adapted to life on the high-altitude puna, often seen running nimbly across barren ground. True to its name, it digs nest burrows in earthen banks or soft soils. Its rufous wing panels that flash in flight and contrasting tail pattern help separate it from similar miners.
Temperament
wary and terrestrial
Flight Pattern
short, low flights with rapid wingbeats and brief glides
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, sometimes in small loose groups in suitable habitat. Pairs excavate a burrow tunnel in soft soil or banks, ending in a lined chamber where they lay a small clutch. Territorial during breeding, with both adults attending the nest.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a brief, dry trill or rattling series of notes delivered from the ground or a low perch. Calls include thin, sharp chips and short rattles, often given in contact while foraging.
Plumage
Sandy-brown upperparts with fine, diffuse streaking and paler underparts that are whitish to buff. Shows warm rufous wing panels in flight and a contrasting tail with dark subterminal band and pale outer tail feathers. A pale supercilium and clean whitish throat are typical.
Diet
Primarily takes ground-dwelling arthropods such as beetles, ants, and small spiders. It also picks small larvae and other invertebrates from soil crusts and under stones. Occasional seed or grit ingestion may occur while probing.
Preferred Environment
Forages on open, sparsely vegetated ground, saline flats, and stony slopes where it can run and stop to pick prey. Often forages along track edges and around bofedales margins where invertebrates concentrate.
