Bird Guide

Equatorial Antpitta vs Scaled Antpitta

Equatorial Antpitta (Grallaria saturata)

Equatorial Antpitta

Grallaria saturata

Small40 gForest

Grallaria antpittas are a "wonderful group of plump and round antbirds whose feathers are often fluffed up...they have stout bills very short tails". The equatorial antpitta is about 14.5 to 15 cm (5.7 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 32 to 47 g (1.1 to 1.7 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have mostly rufous-brown upperparts; the sides of their head are somewhat more rufous. Their underparts are also mostly more rufous than their upperparts, with dark gray-brown flanks, a light rufous center to the belly, a buffy white to white vent, and whitish undertail coverts. Voice: The equatorial antpitta's long song is "a rapid, slightly descending trill of short, ringing notes lasting ~1.5–3.5 ". Its short song "begins with a single clear note, followed by a brief pause and then a fast, accelerating but stuttering trill of 4–5 notes". It apparently sings mostly at dawn and from a low perch.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Equatorial Antpitta
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Alarm call · Pichincha: Yanacocha, Volcán Pichincha, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: desertnaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Scaled Antpitta (Grallaria guatimalensis)

Scaled Antpitta

Grallaria guatimalensis

Medium94 gForest

Grallaria antpittas are a "wonderful group of plump and round antbirds whose feathers are often fluffed up...they have stout bills very short tails". The scaled antpitta is 15 to 19 cm (5.9 to 7.5 in) long and weighs 70 to 98 g (2.5 to 3.5 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies G. g. guatimalensis have a pale olive brownish forecrown with fine black scaling and a gray crown and nape. They have whitish or buffy lores, olive brown ear coverts with thin streaks, and blue-gray skin around their eye. Voice: The song of most subspecies of scaled antpitta is "a rapid series of quavering, hollow notes lasting 2-7 seconds, slowly increasing in volume and pitch and then quickly becoming quieter at the end: cau, cau, cau-cau-caucaucaucau, cau". That of subspecies G. g.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Scaled Antpitta
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Zamora-Chinchipe: E Chito Juntas, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ryan F. Mandelbaum · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Equatorial Antpitta and Scaled Antpitta.