Pale-legged hornero facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pale-legged hornero |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Furnarius
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| Species: |
leucopus
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The pale-legged hornero (Furnarius leucopus) is a type of bird found in South America. It lives in countries like Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana, and Peru. This bird belongs to the ovenbird family called Furnariidae, which is known for building special nests that look like ovens!
Contents
Bird Families and Subspecies
Scientists group animals to understand them better. The pale-legged hornero belongs to a bird family called Furnariidae, often called 'ovenbirds' because of their unique nests.
There are different types, or 'subspecies', of the pale-legged hornero. Most scientists agree on these four main ones:
- F. l. leucopus
- F. l. tricolor
- F. l. araguaiae
- F. l. assimilis
Some scientists think there might be more subspecies, or that some of these might even be separate species! But for now, we'll focus on these four.
What Does It Look Like?
The pale-legged hornero is a medium-sized bird, about 15 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) long. It weighs around 37 to 49 grams (1.3 to 1.7 ounces), which is about the weight of a small candy bar.
This bird has a long, mostly straight beak. Both male and female birds look alike. They have a wide, whitish stripe above their eyes, like an eyebrow. Their cheeks are a reddish-brown color. The top of their head is dark reddish-brown.
Their back, rump, and upper tail feathers are a bright orange-red color, but this can vary a bit. Their tail is a rich chestnut color. Their wings are chestnut too, with blackish flight feathers that have a wide chestnut band.
Their throat is white, which fades into a yellowish-brown color on their chest. Their sides are a lighter yellowish-brown, and the middle of their belly is almost white. Their eyes are usually reddish-brown. Their legs and feet are pale pinkish, gray, or whitish. Young birds look like adults but have a shorter beak.
Different subspecies have slight color differences. For example, F. l. tricolor has a grayer head and more yellowish-brown back.
Where Do They Live?
The different subspecies of the pale-legged hornero live in specific areas:
- F. l. leucopus: Found along the Negro and Branco rivers in northern Brazil and in southwestern Guyana.
- F. l. tricolor: Lives in eastern Peru, western Brazil (reaching into Pará state), and into Bolivia. It has also been seen once in southeastern Ecuador.
- F. l. araguaiae: Found in central Brazil, in the western parts of Tocantins and eastern Mato Grosso states, along the Araguaia and das Mortes rivers.
- F. l. assimilis: Lives in eastern and southern Brazil, between Maranhão, Pernambuco, and Mato Grosso do Sul states, and in the very southeastern part of Bolivia.
These birds live in many different kinds of open or partly open areas. You can find them in forests along rivers, at the edges of new forests, in farm areas, and even in parks and gardens in towns. They especially like wet places, usually close to water. They mostly live below 1,100 meters (3,600 feet) in elevation, but sometimes they can be found higher, up to 1,700 meters (5,600 feet) in Peru.
Behavior
Movement
The pale-legged hornero usually stays in the same area all year round. They don't migrate far. Sometimes, they might move a little locally, perhaps following rivers.
Feeding Habits
The pale-legged hornero mainly eats different kinds of arthropods, like insects and spiders. They also eat other small creatures such as snails. There's even one report of a hornero eating a toad! They look for food by walking on the ground, flipping over leaves to find their prey. They usually forage alone or in pairs.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Scientists don't know a lot about how the pale-legged hornero breeds, even though it's a common and noisy bird! We don't have a clear breeding season defined for them yet.
Their nest is very special. It's built like an "oven" using clay and animal dung. Inside, there's a chamber lined with dry plant material. Both the male and female birds work together to build this nest. They usually place it on a tree branch, but sometimes they build it on flat structures like the crossbars of utility poles.
We don't know how many eggs they lay in a clutch. At one nest in Peru, the eggs hatched after 16 to 17 days. The young birds stayed in the nest for 26 to 33 days before they were ready to fly. Both parents helped feed the baby birds.
What Do They Sound Like?
The pale-legged hornero's song is a "long series of loud, sharp, quick notes." It starts fast and then slows down, getting lower in pitch. It sounds like PIPIPI’PI’pi’pi-pi-pi-pi-pi pee pee pu. Their calls are loud, rich, and reedy sounds like chet or kyeek, or a falling cheeop.
Status and Conservation
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has listed the pale-legged hornero as a species of "Least Concern." This means they are not currently in danger of disappearing.
This bird has a very large range, and even though we don't know the exact number of birds, their population is thought to be growing. There are no major threats to them right now. They are considered to be uncommon to very common in different areas.
The pale-legged hornero actually benefits from some changes humans make to their habitat, like clearing some forests. They have even expanded their range into areas where trees have been cut down. They also live in several protected areas, which helps keep them safe.
