Family Ovenbirds (Furnariidae)

Least Concern

Sharp-billed Treehunter (Heliobletus contaminatus)

figure, drawing, illustration of Sharp-billed Treehunter (Heliobletus contaminatus)

Taxonomy

French: Anabate à bec fin German: Ockerbrauen-Baumspäher Spanish: Ticotico estriado
Taxonomy:

Anabates contaminatus

Pelzeln

, 1859,

Ipanema, Itararé and Curitiba, Brazil

.

Races intergrade in N São Paulo. Considerable confusion in nomenclature#R: specific name superciliosus, used in past and cited as the basis for the genus name, is junior objective synonym of Cranioleuca pyrrhophia; valid specific name contaminatus until recently attributed to Berlepsch (1885) but actually made available by Pelzeln (1859); Pelzeln’s name refers to S race, which therefore becomes nominate form (contrary to traditional usage), with camargoi as a junior subjective synonym; N race thus requires name, for which elizabethae proposed, but incorrectly introduced so valid name currently in preparation#R. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution
  • H. c. newname (DescriberName, 2017) – SE Brazil (S Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo S to N São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro).
  • H. c. contaminatus (Pelzeln, 1859) – SE Brazil (São Paulo S to Rio Grande do Sul), E Paraguay (Canindeyú, Alto Paraná), NE Argentina (Misiones) and extreme NE Uruguay#R.

    • Descriptive notes

    12–13 cm; 13–15 g. Small furnariid closely resembling a xenops. Nominate race has broad golden-buff supercilium, sharply defined blackish-brown postocular band... read more

    Voice

    Song a short, harsh, metallic slow trill on one pitch, sometimes interspersed with squeaky notes or... read more

    Habitat

    Montane and tropical lowland evergreen forest; from near sea-level to 1830 m.

    Food and feeding

    Arthropods. Forages singly or in pairs, usually in mixed-species flocks, from mid-storey to canopy, often in dense vine tangles;... read more

    Breeding

    No information.

    Movements

    Resident.

    Status and conservation

    Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Uncommon to locally fairly common in much of its range; rare in Paraguay. In Brazil, fairly common in Aparados da Serra and Serra dos... read more

    Recommended citation

    Remsen, J.V., Jr (2020). Sharp-billed Treehunter (Heliobletus contaminatus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/56587 on 25 February 2020).