Rufous-breasted Leaftosser - Sclerurus scansor

Rufous-breasted Leaftosser Sclerurus scansor

Brazilian name: vira-folha

Brazil

The Rufous-breasted Leaftosser is distributed in central and south-eastern Brazil and adjacent areas of Paraguay and Argentina. There is a disjunct population in north-east Brazil. See the distribution map at xeno-canto. It is found on the ground in humid forest and mature woodland.

The nominate sub-species, seen here in photos 1 to 3, has a whitish throat with a scaly appearance, a bright chestnut rump and a blackish tail. The sub-species S. s. cearensis from north-east Brazil, seen in photos 4 and 5, is smaller, has a shorter bill and has no scaling on the throat. It also has brighter upperparts and a brighter rufous on the breast.

It hops rather than walks on the ground where it is usually found singly or in pairs as it looks for its invertebrate prey in the leaf litter or by probing the ground.

Its nest is a hole in the ground.

Rufous-breasted Leaftosser, Serra de Baturité, Ceará, Brazil, October 2008 - click for larger image

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