First description of the nest of White-browed Antpitta Hylopezus ochroleucus

Abstract

The reproductive biology of White-browed Antpitta (Hylopezus ochroleucus) is completely unknown. We describe a nest and nestlings found at the Parque Natural Municipal do Distrito de Brejinho, Araripe, Ceará. Brazil. The nest was a loose, shallow, open cup of sticks built into a tangle of branches and vines 0.5 m above the ground. The two nestlings were first seen on 5 April 2015, with closed eyes, bright orange bills and mouth linings, and dark grayish-pink skin, devoid of natal down, with contour feather tracts beginning development (under the skin). Six days later they had a dense coating of red-brown, wool-like down, their eyes were beginning to open, and secondary feathers were emerging. We compare our findings to related species and other members of the family Grallariidae.