Miner and Cinclodes, Argentina (1 Viewer)

[opisska]

First 3 photos are a miner from a river valley 3000 m a.s.l. in La Rioja province (on the road to Laguna Brava if that rings a bell). The tail (clearly visible even on sitting bird) seems to suggest Rufous-banded, but there is not much ... rufous in the rest of the bird. My book doesn't have for example Creamy-rumped imaged, that might be similar?

The last photo is a Cinclodes ... I know, that's an unpopular genus to ID, but this one is so nicelly pictured. Is it dark-bellied or gray-flanked. Location is by the spring coming from Laguna Nina Encantada near Las Lenas, cca 2000 m a.s.l. in south Mendoza province, should be in range for both. Thanks!

 

[njlarsen]

for comparison
http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Creamy-rumped_Miner
http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Dark-bellied_Cinclodes
http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Gray-flanked_Cinclodes

Niels

 

[opisska]

for comparison
http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Creamy-rumped_Miner
http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Dark-bellied_Cinclodes
http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Gray-flanked_Cinclodes

Niels

Thanks Niels! However you have to agree that even Opus concedes that the IDs are difficult and the decisive marks are scarce, thus an eye of an expert is most wanted.

 

[njlarsen]

Exactly why I did not give much of a judgment on these. But go from the opus page to the gallery and check out also the Lynx gallery: it may show that the bill on your cinclodes is too strong for gray-flanked. I do not at this time have time to go image hunting.

Niels

 

[njlarsen]

bump

 

[opisska]

So just for the record, we made an intensive search of images and are now quite certain that (barring huge mis-IDs all over the internet) the miner is definitely Rufous-banded. The Cinclodes seems "resonably" dark-bellied, but I won't sweat about it, that was just more out of curiosity. Maybe I will get a better picture next time, it's a place where I will hopefully get again in a couple of months and the Cinclodes-es are always around.

 

[njlarsen]

Thanks for getting back to us

Niels