Brown Nunlet Nonnula brunnea Scientific name definitions

The Brown Nunlet is confined to a very small range within western Amazonia, being found from southern Colombia south to northern Peru, within which region it occurs in humid lowland terra firme forest and, more rarely, old second growth. It can be observed at virtually any level, from the understory to the subcanopy. This nunlet is rare and poorly known, although the nest has recently been described, based on observations in both Ecuador and Peru. In terms of its relationships, the Brown Nunlet forms a superspecies with the Fulvous-chinned Nunlet (Nonnula sclateri), which replaces it further south and east in upper Amazonia, and the far more widespread Rusty-breasted Nunlet (Nonnula rubecula).

14–15 cm. Buffy-rufous band from short nasal tufts to eye, narrow buffy eye-ring, dark greyish-brown ear-coverts; rest of head and upperparts dark plain brown , edges of secondaries buffy; tail slightly graduated; chin and central abdomen pale rufous, grading to dull dark rufous throat and flanks; centre of belly and undertail-coverts buffy-rufous; underwing-coverts rufous; bill mostly dark; iris dark brown; feet dark. Immature undescribed.

SC Colombia, E Ecuador and N Peru.

Occupies understorey to subcanopy of humid lowland terra firme forest, as well as cluttered second-growth woodland. In Ecuador , mainly occurs below 400 m, but locally recorded up to c. 700 m.

Presumably resident.

No information available on diet. Sometimes joins antwren (Myrmotherula) flocks in lower storeys.

Song is a series of 20–25 “treeu” notes, repeated steadily, starting quietly, building up, and then fading again towards end.

A nest found in N Peru in late Oct contained a young nestling and an unhatched white egg; it was in a burrow at the base of a palm tree (1 Dauphiné, N., Yagkuag, A.T. and Cooper, R.J. (2007). First description of the nest of Brown Nunlet Nonnula brunnea. Cotinga. 28: 78–79. Close ). Another nest in Ecuador, however, was built on the ground in a relatively flat area, being a dome-shaped structure made of carefully placed sticks and leaf litter, above a shallow depression, with a 10 cm long tunnel leading into a circular chamber c. 12 cm in diameter and 6 cm in height (2 Greeney, H.F. and Port J. (2010). A nest of Brown Nunlet (Nonnula brunnea) and observations on the nesting of other Ecuadorian puffbirds. Orn. Colombiana. 9: 31–37. Close ). No further information.

Not globally threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Upper Amazon-Napo Lowlands EBA. Rare to uncommon in Ecuador, being uncommon at Limoncocha; present in Cuyabeno Reserve and also at Jatun Sacha Biological Station, but habitat of latter possibly threatened by plans for construction of a road through the centre of the reserve. Rare in Peru. Little known; research required.