Tawny antpitta

The tawny antpitta, or western tawny antpitta, is a species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

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Distribution

Region

Northern Andes

Typical Environment

Occurs in high Andean habitats of Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru. Favors open páramo grasslands interspersed with shrubs, boggy swales, and the edges of elfin forest and montane scrub. Often keeps to dense ground-layer vegetation, foraging along trails, ecotones, and seepage areas with soft soil. Uses tussock grasses, low bamboo, and mossy hummocks for cover and nesting. Human-disturbed clearings near intact páramo are also used if sufficient cover remains.

Altitude Range

3000–4500 m

Climate Zone

Highland

Characteristics

Size17–19 cm

Wing Span25–28 cm

Male Weight0.08 kg

Female Weight0.075 kg

Life Expectancy6 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

Often heard more than seen, the tawny antpitta delivers clear, far-carrying whistles from grassy páramo and elfin forest edges. It spends most of its time on the ground, moving mouse-like through dense cover and making short, low flights only when flushed. Individuals are strongly territorial and will often approach cautiously in response to imitated calls. Its uniformly warm tawny plumage helps distinguish it from the more rufous, variably patterned antpittas of lower elevations.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

solitary and territorial

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats; low, direct dashes between cover

Social Behavior

Typically encountered alone or in pairs, defending territories year-round. Nests low or on the ground concealed in dense vegetation, with both sexes likely involved in parental care. Foraging is deliberate and mostly on foot, with brief pauses to listen for prey.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

A series of clear, whistled notes, often two to three phrases that carry well across open páramo. Song is delivered from low perches or the ground, most frequently at dawn and dusk, with soft contact calls given while foraging.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

Tawny eagle

The tawny eagle is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Its heavily feathered legs mark it as a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as booted eagles. Tawny eagles have an extensive but discontinuous breeding range that constitutes much of the African continent as well as the Indian subcontinent, with rare residency in the southern Middle East. Throughout its range, it favours open dry habitats such as semideserts, deserts steppes, or savanna plains. Despite its preference for arid areas, the species seldom occurs in areas where trees are entirely absent. It is a resident breeder which lays one to three eggs in a stick nest most commonly in the crown of a tree. The tawny eagle is perhaps the most highly opportunistic of all Aquilinae, and often scavenges on carrion or engages in kleptoparasitism towards other carnivorous animals but is also a bold and active predator, often of relatively large and diverse prey. It is estimated that tawny eagles can reach the age of 16 years old. Nonetheless, precipitous declines have been detected throughout the tawny eagle's range. Numerous factors, particularly loss of nesting habitat due to logging and global warming, as well as persecution and other anthropogenic mortality are driving the once numerous tawny eagle perhaps to the brink of extinction.

Tawny grassbird

The tawny grassbird is a large songbird that is a member of the family Locustellidae commonly found in grassland and reedbed habitats. It is streaked above and has a distinctive rich brown cap. Its underside is paler and it has a long graduated tail. They call often with "loud, grumpy churring calls and a longer call that starts tick-tick-tick-tick and ends with an explosive descending trill".

Tawny owl

The tawny owl, also called the brown owl, is a stocky, medium-sized owl in the family Strigidae. It is commonly found in woodlands across Europe, as well as western Siberia, and has seven recognized subspecies. The tawny owl's underparts are pale with dark streaks, whilst its upper body may be either brown or grey. The tawny owl typically makes its nest in a tree hole where it can protect its eggs and young against potential predators. It is non-migratory and highly territorial: as a result, when young birds grow up and leave the parental nest, if they cannot find a vacant territory to claim as their own, they will often starve.