Dusky Leaftosser

Sclerurus obscurior

Not EvaluatedRare

About the Dusky Leaftosser

The dusky leaftosser or South American leaftosser is a bird in subfamily Sclerurinae, the leaftossers and miners, of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Giana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

ID tip

The dusky leaftosser is 15 to 17 cm (5.9 to 6.7 in) long and weighs 20 to 30 g (0.71 to 1.1 oz). The sexes are alike. Adults of the nominate subspecies S. o. obscurior have dark reddish to chestnut brown upperparts, with their rump and uppertail coverts being more chestnut than the reddish back. Their wings are darker brown than their back and their tail is dark brown to black brown. Their face is brownish, their throat is tawny chestnut, and their chest and breast are a darker chestnut. Their bill is fairly long and straight with a dark maxilla and a bicolored mandible. Voice: The song of the dusky leaftosser varies somewhat in pitch and number of notes among the subspecies, but is generally "a melodious descending series of 4‒15 upslurred whistles". It may start with "a sharp spik! note" and end with a "few stuttering short notes". Its principal call is a "short sharp explosive single note Tseek!".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

What the Dusky Leaftosser sounds like

Recording: Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Recording: Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Recording: Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

Where it lives

Regular rangeRare visitor

Recorded as a rare visitor in Suriname.

When to see it

Peak activity in February · a resident species across most of its range

Easily confused with

Learn the Dusky Leaftosser for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

Play BeakBrain

Every photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.