Kingdom Animalia Scientific name Pseudocolaptes Higher classification Ovenbird Order Passerine | Family Furnariidae Phylum Chordata Rank Genus | |
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Similar Streaked tuftedcheek, Buffy tuftedcheek, Bird, Thripadectes, Premnoplex | ||
The tuftedcheeks are passerine birds in the genus Pseudocolaptes of the ovenbird family. The two species occur in the mountains of the tropical New World from Costa Rica to Bolivia. They are:
They are sometimes considered conspecific.
They occur as resident breeders in wet mountain forests with many epiphytes, normally above 1500 m. The female lays one white egg in a thickly lined old woodpecker nest or other tree cavity. One parent, probably the female, incubates the single white egg for about 29 days to hatching.
The tuftedcheeks are 20–22 cm long weigh 48 g, and have long bright rufous tails, mainly brown upperparts, and a pale-streaked dark brown cap to the head. The feature that gives the group its English name is the tuft of buff or whitish feathers on each cheek. The throat is the same colour as the tufts.
The tuftedcheeks forage actively amongst mosses, vines, bromeliads and other epiphytes for insects, spiders, and even small amphibians. They will join mixed feeding flocks in the middle levels of the mountain forests.