Recurve-billed Bushbird Clytoctantes alixii Scientific name definitions

The globally Endangered Recuve-billed Bushbird is a remarkable-looking antbird, chunky and short-tailed with a bizarrely large, pale horn-colored, wedge-shaped and recurved bill. Males are mainly slate gray, with black lores, throat, and upper breast, and faintly spotted white wing coverts, while females are rufescent-brown, brighter over the head and body sides, and a dusky tail and wings. The species was known historically from a number of localities in extreme northwest Venezuela and northern Colombia, but it went unseen between 1965 and 2004, when the species was rediscovered in the Sierra de Perijá, in extreme western Venezuela, and a year later the Recurve-billed Bushbird was seen again in Colombia, from where it is currently known at three localities, at least one of which is well protected. It inhabits lowland and foothill forests, favoring dense undergrowth, thickets, borders, and young second growth.

16–17 cm. Lower mandible strongly upturned; white interscapular patch. Male is dark grey, with loral region, throat and centre of upper breast black, flight-feathers brownish-black, black spots along the upperwing coverts (1 Costa, T. V. V., V. Q. Piacentini, D. M. M. Oliveira, F. Schunck, B. M. Whitney, M. A. Rêgo, T. C. Rubio, F. Oliveira, B. Freitas, G. Del-Rio, G. F. Seeholzer, M. G. Harvey, R. S. Terrill, A. G. Correa, F. Arantes, and L. F. Silveira (2017). New records of the enigmatic Clytoctantes atrogularis (Thamnophilidae) in Amazonian Brazil, with remarks on plumage, natural history, and distribution. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 129: 1–12. Close ). Female has crown and upperparts dark rufous-brown, blackish on wings and tail, small pale rufous tips of wing-coverts, underparts reddish-brown, darker on flanks and crissum. Subadult male is dark yellowish and blackish-brown, forehead, head side and throat reddish yellow-brown, wing coverts dotted white.

Few localities in NW Venezuela (Sierra de Perijá) and N Colombia (N Antioquia (2 Colorado, G.J. (2008). Rediscovery of the Recurve-billed Bushbird for the Cordillera Central of Colombia. Orn. Neotrop. 19(3): 467–471. Close ), Norte de Santander (3 Laverde, O. and Stiles, F.G. (2007). [Notes on the Recurve-billed Bushbird (Thamnophilidae: Clytoctantes alixii) and its connection with a bamboo in a secondary forest in Colombia]. Orn. Colombiana 5: 83–90. In Spanish with English summary. Close ) and Santander (4 Donegan, T. M., J. E. Avendaño, E. R. Briceño-L., J. C. Luna, C. Roa, R. Parra, C. Turner, M. Sharp, and B. Huertas (2010). Aves de la Serranía de los Yariguíes y tierras bajas circundantes, Santander, Colombia. Cotinga 32:72–89. (In Spanish with English summary.) Close , 5 Herrera-Ordóñez, R. and Rincón-Guarín, D.A. (2014). Nuevo registro del Hormiguero Pico de Hacha Clytoctantes alixii para el departamento de Santander, Colombia. Cotinga 36: 117–118. In Spanish. Close ); formerly more widespread).

Understorey of evergreen forest, forest edge, adjacent second growth, and regenerating clearings, apparently primarily in foothills; Venezuelan records between 300 m and 1200 m, Colombian records from 200 m to 1150 m. Seemingly favours dense vine tangles and thickets near the ground, as in treefalls, overgrown clearings and forest borders.

Presumed resident.

Almost nothing known. Among the few observations are one of a bird attending an army-ant swarm, and another of an individual stripping strands from dead stems in search of insects.

Very little known. In Colombia, a female was recorded as giving a chirring “ke’e’e’ew”, reminiscent of voice of Phaenostictus mcleannani.

Virtually nothing known. In W of range, breeding reported to occur in Apr–May.

ENDANGERED. Restricted-range species: present in Nechí Lowlands EBA and Colombian East Andes EBA. Known only from specimens, and a 1965 sight record (6 Willis, E. O. (1988). Behavioral notes, breeding records, and range extensions for Colombian birds. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias 16(63):137–150. Close ), until 2004, when rediscovered in Sierra de Perijá in W Venezuela; subsequently, found again at several sites in N Colombia where now encountered regularly. All records come from lowlands and foothills at northern extremes of W, C (including Serranía de San Lucas) and E Andes of Colombia and Sierra de Perijá. Appears to be patchily distributed, but can be locally common to judge by specimens and recent sightings; until recently political instability and difficult access have hampered knowledge of its status. Range has suffered extensive deforestation in recent decades, primarily for human settlement, cattle-ranching, and coca production, but there is some indication that it may survive and/or thrive in dense second growth. Encountered in such habitats in Venezuela, but close to large extensions of primary forest. Thought to be dependent on bamboo Rhipidocladum racemiflorum at Ocaña, Norte de Santander, Colombia (7 Laverde, O. and Stiles, F.G. (2007). Apuntes sobre el hormiguero pico de hacha (Thamnophilidae: Clytoctantes alixii) y su relación con un bambú en un bosque secundario de Colombia. Ornitología Colombiana. 5: 83-90. Close ), but seems not to require this species at other sites. Found within two large national parks: Paramillo National Park (IUCN Cat. II; 4600 km²), in Colombia, and Sierra de Perijá National Park (IUCN Cat. II; 2952 km²), in Venezuela; both of which are affected by deforestation for agriculture. Considered Endangered at the national level in both Colombia (8 Renjifo, L. M., A. M. Franco-Maya, J. D. Amaya-Espinel, G. H. Kattan, and B. López-Lanús, Editors (2002). Libro Rojo de Aves de Colombia. Serie Libros Rojos de Especies Amenazadas de Colombia. Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt & Ministerio del Medio Ambiente, Bogotá, Colombia. In Spanish. Close ) and Venezuela (9 Sharpe, C. J. (2008). Aves. In Libro Rojo de la Fauna Venezolana. Terca edición (J. P. Rodríguez and F. Rojas-Suárez, Editors). Provita and Shell Venezuela, S. A., Caracas, Venezuela. pp. 122–157. Close ). May prove to be more common and widespread than previously thought, and able to survive in secondary landscapes, but at present its ecological requirements are unknown.