Stresemann's Bristlefront

The Northern Stirnhaubentapaculo ( Merulaxis stresemanni ), also referred to as Stresemanntapaculo, is a species of bird in the family of Bürzelstelzer. It occurs in the Brazilian states of Bahia and Minas Gerais. Together with the Southern Stirnhaubentapaculo ( Merulaxis ater), which he looks very similar, it forms the genus of Stirnhaubentapaculos ( Merulaxis ). The specific epithet refers to the German ornithologist Erwin Stresemann.

Description

The Northern Stirnhaubentapaculo reached a size of 20 cm. The plumage of the male is gray and livid. Tail and wings show a brownish tint. Rump, upper tail-coverts and rump are dark reddish- maroon. The front is characterized by long, pointed bristles. The slender beak is dark. The female is a cinnamon-brown top and a light cinnamon-brown underside. The tail is dark.

Habitat and behavior

Of his life little is known. He goes on the floor in search of food and inhabits moist forests at altitudes up to 800 m.

Status

By 1995, the Northern Stirnhaubentapaculo was known only from two individuals. The holotype was collected in 1830s, close to Salvador da Bahia. The second copy was detected in 1945 near Ilheus in Bahia. Then the type remained lost until 1995 Fazenda Jueirana in Bahia photographed a male and his song was recorded. After the subsequent searches in the region failed, a new population in the Jequitinhonha Valley was discovered in Minas Gerais in 2005. The biggest threat is the rapid destruction of the Atlantic Forest and the conversion of forest land in cocoa plantations dar. BirdLife International estimates the population at 50 to 250 copies. In October 2012 was the first time to photograph a female to his nest.