Herpsilochmus dugandi, Meyer de Schauensee, 1945

Ramírez, Wilmer A., Arredondo, César, López, Ramón Carillo, Lopera-Salazar, Andrea & Chaparro-Herrera, Sergio, 2018, Range extensions for Yellow-crowned Elaenia Myiopagis flavivertex and Dugand’s Antwren Herpsilochmus dugandi in eastern Colombia, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 138 (1), pp. 1-3 : 8-9

Dugand’s Antwren Herpsilochmus dugandi

Occurs in várzea and terra firme forests in eastern Ecuador, north-east Peru (north of the Marañón River and in Amazonas) and in extreme southern Colombia, where recorded in south-west Caquetả (south-west of Florencia), western Putumayo, and at Leticia in south-east Amazonas ( Ridgely & Tudor 1994, Zimmer & Isler 2003).

We present seven new records for the country, all in várzea forest in the municipality of San José del Guaviare, dpto. Guaviare. On 8 December 2015, two were observed close to Caño Negro at Buena Vista II (02°34’N, 72°40’W, 194 m) ( WAR), with three observed there ( WAR, RC, CA) and sound-recorded in response to playback (www.xeno-canto.org/367857) on 3 January 2016, and a female photographed in July 2016 ( WAR; Fig. 4 ) within a mixed-species flock that also included Fork-tailed Woodnymph Thalurania furcata , Cranioleuca guturata , Orange-eyed Flycatcher Tolmomyias traylori , Small-billed Elaenia Elaenia parvirostris , Blackish-grey Antshrike Thamnophilus nigrocinereus and Silver-beaked Tanager Ramphocelus carbo . On 11 January 2016, one was observed ( WAR, RC, CA) calling near Kioscos Lagoon, at Buena Vista II (02°33’N, 72°39’W, 185 m) and in the same place, on 23 January 2016, one was observed ( WAR) within a mixed-species flock that also included Velvet-fronted Grackle Lampropsar tanagrinus , White-flanked Antwren Myrmotherula axillaris and Blackfronted Nunbird Monasa nigrifrons . On 3 January 2016, at Los Cambulos, an individual was observed ( WAR, RC, CA) near La Rompida Lagoon (02°38’N, 72°31’W, 190 m). Finally, on 22 July 2017, a female was observed at Playa Güio (02°34’N, 72°42’W, 180 m) (see also M. flavivertex ) ( WAR, SCH, ALS). These records extend the species’ range by c. 360 km to northcentral Amazonian Colombia ( Fig. 3 ) and are among the few records in Colombia far from the east slope of the East Andes (in addition to those at Leticia and in south-east Caquetả, which localities are 711 km and 318 km distant, respectively, from our records).

The species was identified by its vocalisations and plumage differences, especially in females, from Spot-backed Antwren H. dorsimaculatus . The latter species has similar plumage but differs vocally, and has recently been recorded in both Vaupés and Guainía (Stiles & Beckers 2015; www.xeno-canto.org/81761) making its presence in Guaviare plausible, and increasing the risk of possible confusion with H. dugandi (J. E. Avendaño pers. comm.).

Figures

Figure 3. New records of Dugand’s Antwren Herpsilochmus dugandi in Colombia, in dpto. Guaviare (red spots), and the species’ range in surrounding countries per BirdLife International (2017; green). Records: 1: Los Cambulos, 2–6: Buena Vista II, 7: Playa Güio.

Figure 4. Female Dugand’s Antwren Herpsilochmus dugandi, near Caño Negro, Buena Vista II, municipality of San José del Guaviare, dpto. Guaviare, Colombia, July 2016 (Wilmer A. Ramírez)