Black-cheeked Gnateater Conopophaga melanops Scientific name definitions

Endemic to the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, between Paraíba in the north and Santa Catarina in the south, this species inhabits wet forest and dense, older second growth in the lowlands and foothills, as well as ranging locally into drier forest. The Black-cheeked Gnateater generally forages very low in the undergrowth, sometimes on the ground, and darts rapidly between perches. Males are stunning birds, best detected by their trilling song, with a bright rufous crown, black mask, white throat, gray underparts, and largely brown upperparts, while females are mainly orange-rufous below, with a brownish face, and darker upperparts. Three subspecies have been recognized, but there is substantial individual variation in this species, and it is unclear how many of these might be considered valid.

10·5–12 cm; three birds averaged 20·1 g. Male has rufous cap with orangish border, black forehead and facial mask, sometimes a few white feathers in postocular region, prominent white throat; upperparts brown, wing-coverts more rufous and sometimes with pale tips; underparts below upper breast grey, flanks tinged orange-buff, belly whitish, extent of grey and white variable; iris dark brown; bill black; legs grey-pink. Female lacks black mask, has grey postocular stripe, orange-rufous underparts with paler throat and belly. Juvenile apparently unknown. Race <em>nigrifrons</em> typically has broader back frontal band, but much individual variation throughout range, and validity of all racial features requires revision (seeFamily Text ).

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Interior and edge of dark, often mossy Atlantic Forest, frequently along streams or in ravines; also dense second growth. Also in drier forest remnants in valley of R Paraiba do Sul, in Rio de Janeiro state. Sea-level to c. 800 m.

Sedentary.

Small arthropods. Forages on or near ground; takes items from foliage and leaf litter by making short reaches and by gleaning.

Song a tightly spaced trill at 1·5–3·5 kHz, becoming slightly louder as it rises and slows fractionally through final part, the whole lasting c. 5–8 seconds, sound can be approximated by dragging the thumbnail along teeth of a comb; only other vocalization heard regularly is ringing “zhink!” or “zhweenk!”.

Oct and Nov in S half of range. Nest in S Bahia was 0·8 m above ground in small tree, another in Paraná 0·6 m above ground and supported by Heliconia stems; 13 nests in Rio de Janeiro were mostly on Dracaena bushes at 20–80 cm above the ground (2 Stenzel, R.N. and de Souza, P.B. (2014). Biologia reprodutiva do cuspidor-de-máscara-preta, Conopophaga melanops (Passeriformes: Conopophagidae), no Jardim Botanico do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Atualidades Ornitológicas. 177(1): 26–27. Close ). Clutch 2 eggs, beige or buffy with small brownish speckles concentrated in ring around larger end, in Paraná 22·5–22·7 × 17–17·5 mm. Both male and female build nest, incubate and feed nestlings; incubation period, 18 days; nestling period c. 15 days (2 Stenzel, R.N. and de Souza, P.B. (2014). Biologia reprodutiva do cuspidor-de-máscara-preta, Conopophaga melanops (Passeriformes: Conopophagidae), no Jardim Botanico do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Atualidades Ornitológicas. 177(1): 26–27. Close ). Sitting adults allowe close approach before leaving nest, then performing broken-wing distraction displays on ground, displays becoming more intense during final stages of nestling period. In a study at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, breeding success 23% (n = 13 nests) (2 Stenzel, R.N. and de Souza, P.B. (2014). Biologia reprodutiva do cuspidor-de-máscara-preta, Conopophaga melanops (Passeriformes: Conopophagidae), no Jardim Botanico do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Atualidades Ornitológicas. 177(1): 26–27. Close ). At the Paraná nest, both nestlings had been parasitized by flies, possibly of genus Philornis, larger chick harbouring 6 larvae, the other 12.

Not globally threatened. Generally common. Fairly common to common at Murici Ecological Reserve, in Alagoas, at Una Biological Reserve, in Bahia, at Sooretama Biological Reserve and Linhares Natural Reserve, in Espírito Santo, at Tijuca National Park and the lower elevations of Itatiaia National Park , in Rio de Janeiro; occurs also in several other protected areas. Fairly common also in the Ubatuba region of coastal N São Paulo and the Guaraqueçaba area of Paraná. As other birds of the lowland Atlantic Forest, it has suffered habitat loss on a massive scale; this has been particularly severe in the valley of R Paraíba do Sul, in interior Rio de Janeiro. Tolerates second growth, so long as this fairly dense, and persists at various places even within residential neighbourhoods of Rio de Janeiro.