- 4 species worldwide
- DR personal total: 1 species (25%), 0 photos
The colorful crescentchests (genus Melanopareia) inhabit arid habitats of central South America. The most widespread is the delightful Collared Crescentchest (left & below, in stunning shots by Simon Woolley).
have traditionally been placed with the tapaculos [family
Rhinocryptidae] but Krabbe & Schulenberg (2003) wrote that the
"four species of Melanopareia differ from all other tapaculos in so
many characters that it is possible that they represent another clade.
They are brightly coloured and relatively long-tailed, and two of them
have a semi-concealed white intrascapular patch similar to that found
in many antbirds. Most striking is the possession by this genus of
seemingly primitive stapes of the inner ear." Recent genetic evidence
now supports elevating them to family status (see below).
Crescentchest is the only one I've seen so far. It was skulking through
the cerrado of south-central Brazil, in the same park where Simon
Woolley took these fine photos. It was hard to see but responded to
tapes. Perhaps because of its striking pattern and its elusive
behavior, I was reminded of grasswrens in Australia (not that I have
any experience with them, either). I recall being quite shocked at how
striking this species was.
The relationships of crescentchests have long been uncertain. Cory & Hellmayr (1924) placed Melanopareia
among the antbirds (then called Formicariidae, now Thamnophilidae) but
Wetmore (1926) transferred it to the tapaculos (Rhinocryptidae) without
a fully convincing explanation (there are some shared skeletal features
with tapaculos). This placement was adopted in subsequent
classifications (e.g. Meyer de Schauensee 1970, Ridgely & Tudor
1994) and has remained that way until now. There have been critics of
this arrangement. Sick (1985) described the eggs of M. torquata as antbird-like, and Ridgely & Tudor (1994) noted that in external appearance, behavior, and vocalizations, species of Melanopareia are "decidedly untapaculo-like (more resembling antbirds)".
recent phylogenetic studies employing mitochondrial and nuclear DNA
data (Irestedt et al. 2002, Chesser 2004) show that crescentchests are
only distantly related to other tapaculos, but appear to be an early
branch of the entire antbird/ovenbird set. Irestedt et al. (2002)
suggested that they be excluded from Rhinocryptidae and placed in a new
family, Melanopareiidae. The South American Checklist Committee, upon a
proposal by Daniel Cadena (in consultation with R.G. Moyle; that
discussion is summarized above), has adopted this position and elevated
the crescentchests to family-level status.
crescentchests are local species in arid country of coastal Ecuador and
Peru, and appear quite closely related [Marañon Crescentchest M. maranonica and Elegant Crescentchest M. elegans] while the other two [Collared Crescentchest and Olive-crowed Crescentchest M. maximiliani]
have more southern distribution in Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and n.
Argentina. These latter species have different voices and bear
semi-concealed intrascapular patches (Krabbe & Schulenberg 2003).
Photos: Simon Woolley photographed the Collared Crescentchest Melanopareia torquata at Chapada dos Guimaraes NP, Brazil, in mid-August 2002. Photo © 2008 Simon Woolley, used with permission; all rights reserved. Simon and Julia Casson have a wonderful website with many photos and trip reports.
Bibliographic note: There is no "family book" for this newly-minted family but a fine introduction to the genus Melanopareia, with some excellent photos, is in Krabbe & Schulenberg (2003).
Chesser, R.T. 2004. Molecular systematics of New World suboscine birds. Molec. Phylog. Evol. 32: 11-24.
C.B., and C.E. Hellmayr. 1924. Catalogue of birds of the Americas.
Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ., Zool. Ser., vol. 13, pt. 3.
M., J. Fjeldså, U.S. Johansson, and P.G.P. Ericson. 2002.
Systematic relationships and biogeography of the tracheophone
suboscines (Aves: Passeriformes). Molec. Phylog. Evol. 23: 499-512.
Krabbe, N.K., and T.S. Schulenberg. 2003. Family Rhinocryptidae (Tapaculos), pp. 748 –788 in
Handbook of the Birds of the World (del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott & D.A.
Christie, eds). Vol. 8. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.
Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1970. A Guide to the Birds of South America. Livingston Publ., Wynnewood, PA.
Ridgely, R.S., and G. Tudor. 1994. The Birds of South America. Vol. 2: The Suboscine Passerines. Univ of Texas, Austin.
H. 1993. Birds in Brazil: A Natural History. Translated from Portuguese
by W. Belton. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, N.J.
Wetmore, A. 1926. Observations on the birds of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chile. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. 133: 1–448.