Fun Rufous Gnateater Facts For Kids

The rufous gnateater name, Conopophaga lineata, was given by Wied in 1831. The rufous gnateater has two subspecies, C.l.

lineata (1831 in Brazil) and C.l. vulgaris (1835 in Brazil, eastern Paraguay, Uruguay, and north eastern Argentina).

The bird's range is found in forests and bushes in eastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, and north-eastern Argentina. The bird is also known for its short and round shape with long legs and reddish-brown color. According to the 'Birds of the World', the rufous gnateater has also adapted more with time.

The rufous gnateater's adaptations include their long wings. The wings of the forest birds are usually short, especially for species that forage understory to fly around the obstacles.

The rufous gnateater's large wings disperse more efficiently among the forest fragments. The members of the gnateater family are also closely related to birds like the antbirds and are less closely related to the antpittas and tapaculous.

For more relatable content, check out these little bee-eater facts and cockatoo facts for kids.

Rufous Gnateater Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a rufous gnateater?

The rufous gnateater, Conopophaga lineata (zu Wied-Neuwied, 1831), is a passerine bird of the gnateater family Conopophagidae and order Passeriformes, found in eastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, and north-eastern Argentina.

What class of animal does a rufous gnateater belong to?

The rufous gnateater, Conopophaga lineata (1831), belongs to the class Aves.

How many rufous gnateaters are there in the world?

The global population range of these birds has not been quantified yet, but due to the abundant presence of their species, they have been described as 'common'.

Where does a rufous gnateater live?

The rufous gnateater can be found in eastern Brazil from south Paraiba to the Rio Grande do Sul And in south-eastern Paraguay and extreme north-eastern Argentina. A lot of other bird species like the hyacinth macaw and Jandaya parakeet can also be found in this range.

What is a rufous gnateater's habitat?

The rufous gnateater's habitat consists of the dense understory of moist tropical forests and dry tropical forests, and moist tropical scrublands. They can be found at altitudes of 984 ft (300 m) and forage close to the ground and move in search of food.

Who do rufous gnateaters live with?

Like most other gnateaters of the family, the rufous gnateaters prefer to live either alone or in pairs.

How long does a rufous gnateater live?

The life span of a rufous gnateater has not been recorded; hence it is unknown how long the rufous gnateater lives.

How do they reproduce?

According to the source 'Birds of the World,' the rufous gnateater is known to nest in a cup made of sticks and moss. The nest is usually placed on the ground or low in a small tree or shrub.

The female gnateater lays two buff-colored eggs, oval and slightly conical in shape, which are incubated by both the males and female partners. The newborns are fed by both the parents as well. The information about the length of their incubation period and fledgling period is currently unknown.

What is their conservation status?

The rufous gnateater, order Passeriformes, is declared a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The bird also does not qualify for the 'at risk' category. Their population is believed to be widespread and abundant in the world throughout their habitat range. 

Rufous Gnateater Fun Facts

What do rufous gnateaters look like?

The rufous gnateater bird is a small and rounded bird with a short tail and long legs. The plumage of the rufous gnateater is reddish-brown in color, which gives them their name.

This bird also has a white stripe above its eye, which ends in a tuft of feathers and can be at times hidden. The rufous gnateater's beak is large in size, chiseled in shape, and bluish-white in color. The rufous gnateater feathers are black, brown, white, and gray in color.

How cute are they?

This bird can be considered a cute bird, given its magnificent color, small size, and long legs.

How do they communicate?

The rufous gnateater communicates through its call, which is a series of quiet cheeps that frequently become faster and more high-pitched. During the time of dusk and dawn, The males have often seen making a buzzing sound with their wing feathers as they fly around their territory.

How big is a rufous gnateater?

The rufous gnateater can grow to 5.1-5.5 in (13-14 cm) long, which is just a little smaller than the burrowing owl, another bird found in Brazil.

How fast can a rufous gnateater fly?

Since very little information is available on the rufous gnateater, it is hard to tell how fast exactly this bird flies. However, it is known that they move quickly close to the ground in search of food.

How much does a rufous gnateater weigh?

The rufous gnateater weighs about 0.6-0.9 oz (16-27 g) in total, which is about 10 times smaller than the toco toucan, a bird found in Brazil.

What are the male and female names of the species?

The rufous gnateater male and the rufous gnateater female species do not have any separate names given to them.

What would you call a baby rufous gnateater?

A baby rufous gnateater is called a nestling or a chick, just like all other bird babies.

What do they eat?

The rufous gnateater is a diurnal bird which means that they are most active during the daytime and rests at night, which is why the rufous gnateater food foraging takes place in the day in the forests. The rufous gnateater diet includes various insects.

In fact, the rufous gnateater is known to move quickly from one perch to another close to the ground in search of food. As soon as it sees an insect, it would make a short flight down to the ground in order to catch it.

Are they poisonous?

There is no information available on how poisonous these birds are. However, only a few bird species in the world are actually poisonous, and the gnateaters family is not one of them.

Would they make a good pet?

The rufous gnateater probably wouldn't make a good pet. This is mostly because of their solitary behavior and the fact that the favorable habitat for this species is forests. Also, gnateaters are believed to be shy birds.

Did you know...

The rufous gnateater bird is often considered as elusive or bird with a rare view or sightings; however, the bird is considered as a commoner and is less shy as compared to other gnateaters.

Are rufous gnateaters endangered?

The rufous gnateater is not an Endangered bird species. However, the exact number of their population has not been counted yet, but they are believed to be in abundance and have no threats to the range of the species in the current scenario.

What is the difference between a rufous gnateater and a black-cheeked gnateater?

The rufous gnateater and the black-cheeked rufous are both very similar in appearance; in fact, the black-cheeked gnateater is known to resemble the rufous gnateater a lot. The black-cheeked gnateater bird is a small and round bird with a short tail very similar to the rufous gnateater.

The black-cheeked gnateater also shows sexual dimorphism, which means that the male and female black-cheeked gnateater shows different colors of their feathers, which characteristic is not known in the rufous gnateater.

But both the birds display similar nature of solitary behavior.

Both rufous gnateater and the black-cheeked gnateater are from the same gnateater family and order Passeriformes. The rufous gnateater has two subspecies and can be found in many locations, whereas the black-cheeked gnateater has three subspecies and are endemic to Brazil.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our blue jay interesting facts and hummingbird surprising facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable rufous gnateater coloring pages.