Slender-billed miner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Slender-billed miner |
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| Chiguata, Arequipa, Peru | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Geositta
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| Species: |
tenuirostris
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The slender-billed miner (scientific name: Geositta tenuirostris) is a type of bird. It belongs to a group of birds called "miners" and "leaftossers," which are part of the ovenbird family. You can find this bird in South American countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru.
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About the Slender-billed Miner
The slender-billed miner is a fairly large bird for its group. It grows to be about 16 to 18 centimeters (6.3 to 7.1 inches) long. It usually weighs between 32 and 38 grams (1.1 to 1.3 ounces). Male and female slender-billed miners look very much alike.
What Does It Look Like?
This bird has a pale, light brownish face with a whitish stripe above its eye. It also has a dark brownish stripe behind its eye. Its head is dull brown with wavy lines. The upper part of its body is dull grayish-brown. Its tail feathers are dull brown in the middle, becoming more reddish-brown towards the outside.
Its wings have dark brown feathers with light tips, forming clear bars. The flight feathers are dark. The bird's throat is whitish, and its chest is buff-white with wavy brownish streaks. Its belly is pale whitish, and its under-tail feathers are light yellowish-brown.
The slender-billed miner has dark brown eyes. Its long, curved beak is blackish with a pinkish base. Its legs and feet are black.
Different Types of Slender-billed Miners
There are two main types, or subspecies, of the slender-billed miner:
- The G. t. tenuirostris was first described by Frédéric de Lafresnaye in 1836.
- The G. t. kalimayae was described by Niels Krabbe in 1992. This type is smaller and grayer than the first, with darker wings and tail. It also has more streaks on its chest.
Where Do Slender-billed Miners Live?
The G. t. tenuirostris subspecies lives in many places. It can be found on both sides of the Andes mountains in Peru. Its range extends south through the Andes in Bolivia and into northwestern Argentina. The G. t. kalimayae subspecies lives in a separate area in central Ecuador.
Their Home Environment
These birds live in grasslands and scrublands found in the puna region. They also live in pastures and farmlands. You can often find them near water. They live at high elevations, from about 2,500 to 4,600 meters (8,200 to 15,100 feet) above sea level.
How Slender-billed Miners Behave
Slender-billed miners stay in their home areas all year long. They do not migrate.
What Do They Eat?
These birds look for food on the ground. They pick up small creatures, poke their beaks into the soil, and even dig for food. Their diet includes beetles, butterfly and moth larvae, spiders, and tiny insects called springtails.
Reproduction and Nests
Slender-billed miners lay eggs during the summer months in the Southern Hemisphere. Male birds perform special flights to attract mates. They build their nests inside tunnels. One nest was found in a tunnel that might have been dug by another bird called an earthcreeper. The nest itself is made of dried grass and is located in a wider area at the end of the tunnel. Female slender-billed miners usually lay two eggs.
Bird Calls and Songs
When a male slender-billed miner performs its display flight, it sings a repeating series of "jit" or "keek" notes. Their calls can sound like "keeeeek," "week, week," "chwea," or a nasal "kyeenh."
Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has evaluated the slender-billed miner. They have listed it as a species of "Least Concern." This means that the bird has a large area where it lives, and even though its exact population size isn't known, it is believed to be stable. There are no immediate threats that worry scientists. The slender-billed miner is considered quite common throughout the places it lives.
