DARK-BELLIED CINCLODES

Common name : Dark-bellied Cinclodes

Scientific name : Cinclodes patagonicus

Order : Passerines

Length : 7 inches.

DESCRIPTION

Its size varies between 2 and 8 inches in length, and it weighs between 37 and 54 g. Its beak and legs are dark brown. The iris is brown. The dorsal is dark brown with a white superciliary stripe. The throat is whitish mottled with grayish brown, while the ventral is grayish brown and streaked with white. The wings are brown with a cinnamon band, except the front of these, which is whitish. The brown tail projects a tip of the ochreous outer feathers. Its characteristic feature is the white lines above and below the eyes.

ENVIRONMENT AND NOURISHMENT

It is distributed from the central zone of the country (Valparaíso) to Tierra del Fuego, at altitudes below 2500 m to sea level. In its natural habitats it will always be seen near water, both salty and fresh; on the rocky banks of rivers, streams and lakes; and in swamps. Their diet is made up mainly of invertebrates such as: insects, crustaceans and molluscs.

PROCREATION

They nest between the months of November and January. The species build the nest in the hollows of ravines, stone walls, trunks or human constructions, padding the base of the nest with grass and feathers. It deposits three white eggs that measure, on average, 20 x 26 mm. Between male and female they feed the chicks.

CONSERVATION

According to the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the species is in category: LC (Least Concern). In Chile it does not have a conservation category.