#grallaricula

Crescent-faced Antpitta (Grallaricula lineifrons), family Grallariidae, order Passeriformes, Colombia

Crescent-faced Antpitta (Grallaricula lineifrons), family Grallariidae, found in Colombia and Ecuador

Crescent-faced Antpitta (Grallaricula lineifrons), family Grallariidae, Hacienda El Bosque, Manizales, Colombia

Bird of the Week, April 9, 2013, Ochre-fronted Antpitta

A simple whistle in the dense bamboo is all that might reveal the presence of the secretive and highly endangered Ochre-fronted Antpitta. This plump, long-legged bird is less than five inches long, with an olive-brown back and black-streaked white underparts. Males have the ochre-buff forehead that gives this species its name.

This bird was only discovered in 1976, and until very recently, sightings in the field were almost unknown. ABC’s Daniel J. Lebbin was one of the first to take a full-length photo of this species in the wild. He captured the bird on camera in 2010 at the Abra Patricia Reserve.

Abra Patricia, established in 2004 by ABC and in-country Peruvian partner ECOAN (Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos), spans over 24,000 acres of protected habitat.

One of the biggest threats to the Ochre-fronted Antpitta is habitat loss, mostly due to clearing of forest for agriculture. ABC has modeled the range of this species in a planning document for the Marañon-Alto Mayo Conservation Corridor, and continues work with ECOAN to acquire more land to conserve habitat for this antpitta and other threatened birds.