Scaly-throated Leaftosser

About the Scaly-throated Leaftosser

The scaly-throated leaftosser (Sclerurus guatemalensis) is a species of bird in subfamily Sclerurinae, the leaftossers and miners, of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Mexico, every Central American country except El Salvador, and in Colombia and Ecuador.

The scaly-throated leaftosser has three subspecies, the nominate S. g. guatemalensis (Hartlaub, 1844), S. g. salvini (Salvadori & Festa, 1899), and S. g. ennosiphyllus (Wetmore, 1951). The scaly throated and black-tailed leaftossers (S. caudacutus) are sister species.

The scaly-throated leaftosser is 16.5 to 18 cm (6.5 to 7.1 in) long and weighs about 35 g (1.2 oz). The sexes are alike. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a dark brown crown and nape with a scalloped appearance. Their back is dark brown, their rump and uppertail coverts reddish brown, and their tail is a darker brown than their back. Their flight feathers are dusky. Their face is shades of brown. Their chin and throat feathers are whitish with darker margins that give a scaly appearance. The sides of their neck and their upper breast are tawny brown and the rest of their breast is dull reddish brown with... Wikipedia →