Crescentchests | Melanopareiidae

Maansluipers | Pecholunas | Crescentchests

Four species occur in this guide, all in the genus Melanopareia: the Elegant Crescentchest in the dry scrub and deciduous forest of southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru, the Marañón Crescentchest, found only in the dry valley of the Marañón and adjacent valleys, and the Olive-crowned Crescentchest in scrub and grassland on the Andean slopes of Bolivia. The family's fourth species, the Collared Crescentchest, lives in the cerrado. For a long time crescentchests were placed with the tapaculos, but genetic studies showed that they form a distinct, ancient branch among the South American songbirds. They are small, stocky birds with a fairly long tail and strong legs, and with a striking pattern: a pale eyebrow, a dark head and a black, crescent-shaped band across the breast, set off against the ochre or chestnut underparts. They live hidden low in dense vegetation, searching there for insects and other small invertebrates. In the breeding season the males sing a series of repeated, dry notes from an exposed perch, and often that is the only sign of their presence. The Marañón Crescentchest is vulnerable because of the clearance of its small range.