We present new records of two poorly known species in eastern Colombia. Yellow-crowned Elaenia Myiopagis flavivertex, previously known in Colombia from a single record in the Inírida region, was recorded in dptos. Meta and Guaviare. Dugand's Antwren Herpsilochmus dugandi was recorded in dpto. Guaviare, representing the species' northernmost limit in Amazonia. These records underscore the importance of further inventories of the poorly known eastern part of Colombia.
Several decades of armed conflict in Colombia have partially limited ornithological exploration of various regions, and the ecology, abundance and distributions of birds are not well known in more remote regions of the country, e.g. Guainía, Vaupés, southern Meta and Guaviare (Stiles 2010, Ruíz-Ovalle & Chaparro-Herrera 2015, Stiles & Beckers 2015). However, despite the challenges, dogged efforts by some researchers have documented new species for science (e.g., Chiribiquete Emerald Chlorostilbon olivaresi; Stiles 1996), new country records (e.g., Rose-breasted Chat Granatellus pelzelni, Yellow-crowned Elaenia Myiopagis flavivertex, Subtropical Pygmy Owl Glaucidium parkeri, Rufous-headed Woodpecker Celeus spectabilis; P. Flórez in Kirwan et al. 2013, Acevedo-Charry et al. 2015, Carantón et al. 2016, Flórez & Kirwan 2017) and substantial ranges extensions (Cadena et al. 2000, Stiles 2010, Álvarez et al. 2013, Stiles & Beckers 2015, Gómez-Bernal et al. 2016, Ramírez et al. in press).
As result of several expedition to eastern Colombia (southern Meta and northern Guaviare) in 2014–17 we present records of two species—Myiopagis flavivertex and Dugand's Antwren Herpsilochmus dugandi—that substantially extend their known ranges in the country.
Yellow-crowned Elaenia Myiopagis flavivertex
This local species is distributed in the Guianas, north-east and southern Venezuela, Amazonian Brazil, north-east Ecuador and east Peru. In Colombia it is known only from north-east Guainía, in the municipality of Inírida near the border with Venezuela (Hilty & Brown 1986, Hilty 2003, Fitzpatrick 2004b, Flórez & Kirwan 2017) (Fig. 1).
We present nine additional records in Colombia, all in the understorey of várzea forest. On 12 October 2014 one was observed for c.10 minutes moving low down (c.1 m above ground) near the Guaviare River (02°35′N, 72°39′W, 200 m), at Playa Nueva, municipality of Puerto Concordia, dpto. Meta (WAR), with further observations in the same area on 16 January 2016 and 22 January 2016 (WAR, CA). On 22 December 2015, two were observed for c.10 minutes near Laguna María (02°33′N, 72°39′W, 180 m) at Buena Vista II, municipality of San José del Guaviare (WAR, CA). On 11 January 2016, an individual was observed for c.5 minutes near Kioscos Lagoon, Buena Vista II, vocalising in response to playback (WAR, CA, RC). On 31 January 2016, two were observed for c.15 minutes beside Caño Grande at Jordán Bajo, municipality of El Retorno, dpto. Guaviare (02°20′N, 72°37′W, 200 m), and the vocalisations of one were recorded ( www.xeno-canto.org/367853) (WAR, CA). On 28 December 2016, one was observed at Damas de Nare, municipality of San José del Guaviare (02°45′N, 72°14′W, 185 m) (CA). On 14 January 2017, an individual vocalised several times near the Guaviare River, at Playa Alta, municipality of Puerto Concordia, dpto. Meta (02°37′N, 72°40′W, 180 m) (WAR, CA; Fig. 2). Finally on 22 July 2017, one was observed at Playa Güio (02°34′N, 72°42′W, 180 m), near a transitional lagoon, and responded to playback by approaching the source (WAR, SCH, ALS). It was accompanied by Greenbacked Trogon Trogon viridis, White-chinned Jacamar Galbula tombacea, Speckled Spinetail Cranioleuca gutturata, Buff-throated Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus guttatus and Dugand's Antwren Herpsilochmus dugandi. These records extend its distribution 495 km west in Colombian Amazonia.
Figure 1.
New records of Yellow-crowned Elaenia Myiopagis flavivertex in Colombia, in dptos. Guaviare and Meta (red spots), and the species' range in surrounding countries per BirdLife International (2017; green). Blue spot = only previous known locality in Colombia, in municipality of Inírida, dpto. Guainía. Records: 1–3 and 6: Puerto Concordia (Meta); 4–5: Buena Vista II; 7: El Retorno, 8: Damas de Nare, 9: Playa Güio.
The species was differentiated from similar taxa in the region, such as Forest Elaenia M. gaimardii or Euler's Flycatcher Lathrotriccus euleri, mainly using vocalisations and plumage, respectively. M. gaimardii produces a short, upward-inflected disyllabic pitchueeet, typically as isolated calls or separated by intervals of 30+ seconds (Fitzpatrick 2004a), while M. flavivertex makes a distinctive, loud jéw, jee-jee-jew or wééchéché-e-e-e (Fitzpatrick 2004b; www.xeno-canto.org/367853, www.xeno-canto.org/365007). L. euleri vocalises similarly to M. flavivertex ( www.xeno-canto.org/122356) but its plumage is quite different (see Farnsworth & Lebbin 2004).
Dugand's Antwren Herpsilochmus dugandi
Occurs in várzea and terra firme forests in eastern Ecuador, north-east Peru (north of the Marañón River and in Amazonas) and in extreme southern Colombia, where recorded in south-west Caquetá (south-west of Florencia), western Putumayo, and at Leticia in southeast Amazonas (Ridgely & Tudor 1994, Zimmer & Isler 2003).
We present seven new records for the country, all in várzea forest in the municipality of San José del Guaviare, dpto. Guaviare. On 8 December 2015, two were observed close to Caño Negro at Buena Vista II (02°34′N, 72°40′W, 194 m) (WAR), with three observed there (WAR, RC, CA) and sound-recorded in response to playback ( www.xeno-canto.org/367857) on 3 January 2016, and a female photographed in July 2016 (WAR; Fig. 4) within a mixed-species flock that also included Fork-tailed Woodnymph Thalurania furcata, Cranioleuca gutturata, Orange-eyed Flycatcher Tolmomyias traylori, Small-billed Elaenia Elaenia parvirostris, Blackish-grey Antshrike Thamnophilus nigrocinereus and Silver-beaked Tanager Ramphocelus carbo. On 11 January 2016, one was observed (WAR, RC, CA) calling near Kioscos Lagoon, at Buena Vista II (02°33′N, 72°39′W, 185 m) and in the same place, on 23 January 2016, one was observed (WAR) within a mixed-species flock that also included Velvet-fronted Grackle Lampropsar tanagrinus, White-flanked Antwren Myrmotherula axillaris and Blackfronted Nunbird Monasa nigrifrons. On 3 January 2016, at Los Cambulos, an individual was observed (WAR, RC, CA) near La Rompida Lagoon (02°38′N, 72°31′W, 190 m). Finally, on 22 July 2017, a female was observed at Playa Güio (02°34′N, 72°42′W, 180 m) (see also M. flavivertex) (WAR, SCH, ALS). These records extend the species' range by c.360 km to northcentral Amazonian Colombia (Fig. 3) and are among the few records in Colombia far from the east slope of the East Andes (in addition to those at Leticia and in south-east Caquetá, which localities are 711 km and 318 km distant, respectively, from our records).
Figure 3.
New records of Dugand's Antwren Herpsilochmus dugandi in Colombia, in dpto. Guaviare (red spots), and the species' range in surrounding countries per BirdLife International (2017; green). Records: 1: Los Cambulos, 2–6: Buena Vista II, 7: Playa Güio.
Figure 4.
Female Dugand's Antwren Herpsilochmus dugandi, near Caño Negro, Buena Vista II, municipality of San José del Guaviare, dpto. Guaviare, Colombia, July 2016 (Wilmer A. Ramírez)
The species was identified by its vocalisations and plumage differences, especially in females, from Spot-backed Antwren H. dorsimaculatus. The latter species has similar plumage but differs vocally, and has recently been recorded in both Vaupés and Guainía (Stiles & Beckers 2015; www.xeno-canto.org/81761) making its presence in Guaviare plausible, and increasing the risk of possible confusion with H. dugandi (J. E. Avendaño pers. comm.).
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the translation of the original Spanish manuscript into English by Corinne Vriesendorp and Tyana Wachter of the Field Museum, Chicago, and J. E. Avendaño, P. Pulgarín and G. M. Kirwan for their comments on the submitted manuscript.
