White-throated Spadebill Platyrinchus mystaceus Scientific name definitions

Taxonomic note: Lump. This account is a combination of multiple species accounts originally published in HBW Alive. That content has been combined and labeled here at the subspecies level. Moving forward we will create a more unified account for this parent taxon. Please consider contributing your expertise to update this account.

Throughout its broad circum-Amazonian range, the White-throated Spadebill is represented by some 14 subspecies, which are considered to constitute two groups, the Central American-Andean albogularis group, and the lowland mystaceus group, although the southeast Peruvian and northern Bolivian subspecies P. m. partridgei appears to form a ‘bridge’ between them. The White-throated Spadebill is a typically small, large-headed, and stub-tailed Platyrinchus, which is often relatively commoner and more easily observed than other spadebills, although knowledge of its vocalizations is often necessary to find it. The species is an inhabitant of the undergrowth of humid lowland and montane forests, as well as tall second growth and gallery woodland, and its overall range encompasses from sea level to over 2150 m, although the White-throated Spadebill is generally less numerous at higher elevations within this range.

White-throated Spadebill (Western)

9–10 cm; 7·5–12 g. Small, large-headed and stub-tailed spadebill with bold facial pattern. Adult male has dark olive crown with large, partially concealed yellow patch, sometimes buff-tinged, upperparts brownish olive to reddish brown, becoming paler on uppertail-coverts, slight wingbar on greater coverts, tail dusky edged brown; head has dull white loral streak, prominent white eyering and indistinct brownish-buff spot on ear-coverts, white throat and foreneck, most of underparts buffy brown, becoming pale yellow on lower breast and belly, and white on undertail-coverts; iris dark reddish brown or brown, bill black, sometimes with pinkish tip to mandible, and legs and feet grey or pinkish grey. Adult female similar to male, but lacks crown patch or is only very slightly indicated. Juvenile always lacks coronal patch and has more reddish-brown upperparts. Nominate <em>albogularis</em> has dark lower mandible with pale tip, more pure white throat contrasting more with breast, whiter belly; <em>neglectus</em> and zamorae are similar to last; perijanus differs from previous races in olivaceous (instead of brownish) upperparts; and partridgei is essentially intermediate in plumage between all other races and P. mystaceus, but has all-dark bill of present species.

White-throated Spadebill (Eastern)

9–10·6 cm; 7·5–11 g. Small, large-headed and stub-tailed spadebill with bold facial pattern. Male nominate race has pale buff-yellow supraloral patch, eyering, auricular patch below eye and arching postocular stripe, contrasting with dark blackish-brown lores, stripe beneath front of eye and patch on rear ear-coverts (in front of pale postocular stripe); dark olive-brown on crown, semi-concealed yellow coronal patch; upperparts , wings and stubby tail olive-brown; throat whitish or pale yellow, underparts creamy buff to ochraceous, sometimes washed tawny to olive on breast and sides, belly tinged ochre; iris dark brown or greyish brown; bill broad and flat, maxilla black, mandible pale (off-white to pale grey); legs pale pinkish or greyish pink. Female is similar to male, but coronal patch small or absent. Juvenile lacks yellow coronal patch, is brighter and more rufescent above, throat and breast pale greyish brown, belly buffish white. Race <em>cancromus</em> is very similar to nominate; niveigularis has pure white throat; <em>insularis</em> differs from nominate in being more greenish-olive (less brownish) above, paler and whiter on belly, with more distinct olive-buff breastband; duidae is like previous, but darker upperparts, more ochre-tinged underparts; ptaritepui has paler crown patch, all-dark bill; ventralis has brighter yellow coronal patch, much darker ochre underparts, with black bill tipped pinkish on mandible; imatacae has grey-tinged crown, paler underparts, breast yellowish-buff, abdomen yellowish white; and bifasciatus is larger than nominate, strongly greenish above, with distinct wingbars, buffy yellow below.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

White-throated Spadebill (Western)

White-throated Spadebill (Eastern)

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

White-throated Spadebill (Western)

Undergrowth of a variety of habitats, including humid lowland and montane forests, dry forest, gallery forest, tall secondary woodland; sometimes in tangled brushy areas or bamboo thickets along forest borders. Sea-level to 2150 m; 700–2150 m in Costa Rica, 750–1800 m in Panama, 900–2000 m in Colombia, 1000–2000 m on E slope of Andes in Ecuador, and 600–2000 m on W slope in Ecuador and E slope in Peru.

White-throated Spadebill (Eastern)

Undergrowth of a variety of habitats, including humid lowland and foothill forests, gallery forest, tall secondary woodland; sometimes in bamboo thickets at forest borders. Sea-level to at least 1300 m in SE Brazil, but to at least 1800 m in S Venezuela.

White-throated Spadebill (Western)

White-throated Spadebill (Eastern)

Resident.

White-throated Spadebill (Western)

Arthropods. Stomach contents in SE Peru included 32 prey items, of which beetles (Coleoptera) 46%, hymenopterans 15% (ants 6%, wasps 9%), bugs (Hemiptera) 12%, arachnids 9%, orthopterans 6%, homopterans 6%, other 6%. Occurs in pairs, with individuals well separated; generally does not join mixed-species flocks, but has occasionally been observed attending army ant swarms in Costa Rica. Perches 0·3–5 m up in dense undergrowth for long periods, scanning surrounding foliage, or changes perch; uses rapid upward-sally manoeuvres to scoop prey from undersides of leaves or twigs, capture accompanied by audible bill-snap.

White-throated Spadebill (Eastern)

Arthropods, including coleopterans, Formicidae, hemipterans, hymenopterans and lepidopterans, as well as Araneae; once seeds. Occurs in pairs, with individuals well separated; generally does not join mixed-species flocks, but reported to do so in gallery forest in Venezuelan llanos and in second-growth forest in SE Brazil (Rio de Janeiro). Perches motionless 0·3–5 m up in dense undergrowth for long periods, scanning surrounding foliage, or changes perch; uses rapid upward-sally manoeuvres to scoop prey from undersides of leaves or twigs, capture accompanied by audible bill-snap.

White-throated Spadebill (Western)

Song  (mostly given at dawn and during early morning) a high, thin, rattling trill, “pe’e’e’e’e’e’e’e’e’e’e’eet”, rising slightly and sometimes preceded by abrupt “squek” note; compared to P. mystaceus, main differences are frequency of introductory note, frequency evolution, number of notes and pace. Nevertheless, song of race partridgei is different being a falling then rising series of notes, with the introductory and end notes well pronounced and on a similar pitch; compared to other races, main differences are frequency of introductory note and frequency evolution. Frequently heard call  a short and sharp “squeep”, sometimes doubled or given in a series. Wing-whir like that of a manakin (Pipridae) during flight display.

White-throated Spadebill (Eastern)

Song  (mostly given at dawn and during early morning) a prolonged, bubbling or squeaky, slightly descending trill. Compared to P. albogularis, which has a rising and slower song, main differences are frequency of introductory note, frequency evolution, number of notes and pace. Call an irregular series of sharp, individual “weet” notes, occasionally lengthened to “WEET-tu-tu” and sometimes apparently scolding.

White-throated Spadebill (Western)

Season Mar–May in Costa Rica; May–Jul in N Colombia and Dec in E; at Tikal, Guatemala, birds in breeding condition collected Jun and Jul, and a fledgling in latter month. Male, when excited, sings with yellow feathers of coronal patch erected in a fan; has flight display accompanied by wing-whir. Nest in Costa Rica a smooth cone-like cup (75 mm tall, interior cup 70 mm diameter, 40 mm wide and 30 mm deep) of black fungal fibres, pale fibres, very pale-coloured dead leaves that drape below bottom, and fragment of snakeskin, while a nest in SE Peru is apparently entirely covered on the outside by very pale vegetable matter; placed 1–3 m above ground in upright fork of shrub or sapling. Clutch two yellowish-white eggs with very slight rufous spotting over larger end, size 19·1 mm × 14·7 mm (n = 1); no information on incubation and fledging periods.

White-throated Spadebill (Eastern)

Season May–Jul on Trinidad, Jun on Tobago, and similar in NC Venezuela (race insularis); Oct–Dec in Minas Gerais, SE Brazil; in extreme S Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul), both sexes in breeding condition in Sept–Nov (nominate race); in S Venezuela, race ventralis in breeding condition in Mar. Male, when excited, sings with yellow feathers of coronal patch erected in a fan; has flight display accompanied by wing-whir. Nest on Trinidad a deep cup of dead grasses and pale fibres bound with cobwebs, lined with black fibres, similar in SE Brazil, but with addition of dead leaves on outside; placed 0·45–1 m above ground in upright fork of shrub or sapling; one nest measured 6.1 cm tall, 5·9 cm outside diameter, 4 cm inner diameter and 4·2 cm deep. Clutch two creamy-white eggs with reddish or brown markings at the larger end, mean size 16·3 mm × 12·3 mm; no definitive information on incubation and fledging periods, but former lasts at least 11 days and latter in region of 14–19 days.

White-throated Spadebill (Western)

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Common to fairly common, but perhaps less numerous at higher altitudes in range; often overlooked unless mist-netted. Occurs in many national parks and other protected areas throughout its rather large range. Has possibly suffered from deforestation in lowlands.

White-throated Spadebill (Eastern)

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Common to fairly common, but perhaps less numerous at higher altitudes in range; often overlooked unless mist-netted. Known from many protected areas in Brazil. Has suffered from deforestation in lowlands in some areas, especially NE Brazil, where race niveigularis is considered threatened under Brazilian law, but is sometimes recorded in urban areas.