Illustration: Pastel and graphite on textured paper, 15 x 22 cm.
Patricio Paretti. MIGRATORIAS

CHOCOLATE VENTED - TYRANT


Common name:
Chocolate vented- tyrant (or Flycatcher)
Scientific name:
Neoxolmis rufiventris
Kind:
Birds
Order:
Passerin
Size:
Length of 22 to 24 cm



DESCRIPTION

It has an ash grayish head and chest, contrasting with the russet belly. The forehead and eye areas are black; pale sand-colored shoulders, which may appear silver. The inner flight feathers are bright cinnamon with white tips. The long outer flight feathers are black; the tail is blackish, with white tips and edges. The bill and legs are black. It does not present sexual dimorphism; therefore, the male is not distinguished from the female.


ENVIRONMENT AND NOURISHMENT
Patagonian steppes, grasslands, heaths, shrub areas or areas with low vegetation cover, both on the continent and in northern Tierra del Fuego. It usually lives in lowlands, from sea level to 1,200 m., but migrating to the north of Argentina and Uruguay in the winter season. It can be seen alone, by pairs or in large groups of up to 20 individuals. Its main diet consists of insects and coleopterans, as well as small vertebrates such as lizards. Due to its terrestrial habits, it walks quickly with its body flattened, with its chest close to the ground. When stopping to look for insects, it fixes its head up high, opening and closing the tail quickly.


PROCREATION

It nests between November and December, when it builds on the ground, hidden in some low bush or tall grass, a deep cup-shaped nest, lined with herbs and feathers. It lays 2 to 3 eggs. THREATS TO SURVIVAL There are no described threats to the species.


CONSERVATION

According to the criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) the species is in category LC (Least Concern), likewise in Chile (2020, Ministry of the Environment).


Illustration: Pastel and graphite on textured paper, 15 x 22 cm.
Patricio Paretti. MIGRATORIAS

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