Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Hemme Batjes, Regis Nossent,
Alberto Esquivel, Arne Lesterhuis, José Luis Cartes, Rebecca Zarza and Hugo del Castillo and are used with their permission.
MELANOPAREIDAE - CRESCENTCHESTS
Two species in this exclusively Neotropical family occur in Paraguay. Formerly considered aberrant members of the Rhinocryptidae, they are now considered to belong to a family of their own on the basis of a series of distinctive anatomical features supported by genetic data.
Crescentchests are brightly-coloured, semi-terrestrial and long-tailed birds of scrubby arid habitats where they are resident and usually encountered in pairs. They are extremely difficult to observe, but are frequently vocal. On account of their strongly territorial nature they are easily attracted by playback. Songs are loud and clear, often delivered in duet. Crescentchests run on the ground. They forage by perch gleaning for invertebrates whilst hopping through low branches.
The two Paraguayan species share hidden white scapular patches typical of many Antbirds Thamnophilidae. All four known species have allopatric distributions. As with the Rhinocryptids they have the lachrymal bone partly fused with the ectethmoid bone, but differ in the primitive stapes of the inner ear and the straightish, ossified humerus. The metasternum has four notches on the posterior edge and they show incomplete skull ossification. They are poor flyers and the sternum lacks a median keel. Wings are short and rounded with 10 primaries, the number of rectrices varying from 8 to 10. There is no sexual dimorphism.
Little is known of the breeding biology. For known species the nest is a deep cup tilted to 45º and made of soft material such as roots, grass and fibres with some small twigs. Nests are within 2m of the ground. The eggs are ovoid and spotted at the broader end.
REFERENCES
Campbell B & Lack E 1985 - A Dictionary of Birds - T & AD Poyser.
Chesser RT 2004 - Molecular Systematics of the New World Suboscine Birds - Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 32: p11-24.
Krabbe NK & Schulenberg TS 2003 - Rhinocryptidae Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol 8 - Lynx Ediciones.
