Rufous Gnateater Conopophaga lineata

Brazilian name: Chupa-dente
Female Rufous Gnateater, Camacã, Bahia, Brazil, March 2004 - click for larger image Brazil

The Rufous Gnateater is distributed in eastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay and north-east Argentina. It is found, usually perched close to the ground, in the undergrowth of humid forest and secondary growth.
Female Rufous Gnateater, Camacã, Bahia, Brazil, March 2004 - click for larger image It is brown above with a grey supercilium and whitish tuft behind the eye while the underparts are rufous-orange with white on the centre of the belly. The lower mandible of the bill is flesh-coloured. The female, as seen in photos 1 to 3, has a less obvious supercilium.

Photos 4, 5 and 6 are males of the sub-species C. l. cearae which differs from the nominate in having a more deeply orange plumage and no obvious white crescent on the breast. Note that photos 4 and 5 were taken without flash while photo 6 was with flash.

They feed on insects in the leaf litter and foliage on or near the ground.
Female Rufous Gnateater, Boa Nova, Bahia, Brazil, July 2002 - click for larger image There are recordings on xeno-canto, a distribution map from NatureServe and additional information available via Avibase. There is page with excellent photos on Wikiaves.
Male Rufous Gnateater, Serra de Baturité, Ceará, Brazil, October 2008 - click for larger image
Male Rufous Gnateater, Serra de Baturité, Ceará, Brazil, October 2008 - click for larger image
Male Rufous Gnateater, Serra de Baturité, Ceará, Brazil, October 2008 - click for larger image
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