Collared Gnatwren

About the Collared Gnatwren

The collared gnatwren (Microbates collaris) is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae, the gnatcatchers. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and BirdLife International (BLI) recognize five subspecies of collared gnatwren:

M. c. paraguensis Phelps & Phelps Jr. (1946) M. c. collaris Pelzeln (1868) M. c. torquatus Sclater & Salvin (1873) M. c. perlatus Todd (1927) M. c. colombianus Parkes (1980) However, the Clements taxonomy has not accepted M. c. torquatus and M. c. colombianus as subspecies. It includes torquatus in collaris and does not seem to address colombianus, though it might be included in perlatus.

The collared gnatwren is approximately 11 cm (4.3 in) long and weighs 10 to 12 g (0.35 to 0.42 oz). The nominate subspecies is brown above and mostly creamy white below. Its head has a brown crown, white supercilium, cheek, and throat, and a thick black line through the eye. The underside has a wide black band across the chest and olive-brown flanks. The sexes are similar. The other subspecies differ in the intensity... Wikipedia →