Ground-Tyrant sp., Atacama Desert, Chile, 7. Oct 2024 (1 Viewer)

[Madlog]

Hello everyone,

Yesterday, I took the attached photo (unfortunately the only one I was able to get) of a Ground Tyrant at a wetland (4000 m above sea level) in the Atacama Desert of Chile.
I think it is either a Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant or a Puna Ground-Tyrant.
There seems to be a weak reddish wash on the head, the wings seem to be quite long and there is no obvious yellow at the base of the bill which would argue for Puna. On the other hand, the bird appears quite brownish overall rather than grey which would argue for Spot-billed.

Anyone any idea?


Cheers,
Stefan

 

[THE_FERN]

Definitely not spot-billed because wings are about as long as tail (spot-billed would fall far short). (Spot-billed doesn't always show the yellow lower mandible base iirc.) Might be Puna but the pale above the eye isn't marked and the bird appears quite dark.

Tbh I'm not sure how much we can trust the apparent brown tones in this image. If it's actually greyer, I think you need to rule out cinereous (assuming in range): I'm torn between that and Puna, slightly favouring cinerous because of the compact appearance and weak whitish eye stripe

 

[Madlog]

Thanks a lot for this nice dissection.

After noticing what I thought was a slightly rusty cap (or at least a different, non-uniform cap) I did not think about Cinereous.
According to eBird, Cinereous would be much rarer compared to Puna at this location (Vados del Puntaon on route to El Tatio) and also labeled as ‘Rare’. It has been recorded at this location before but not at this time of year (maybe due to lack of reports?).

 

[pbjosh]

I'd go for Puna, I've seen several that look quite like this in terms of coloration and the drab face and slight brown/ochre wash on the forecrown fit. I have always assumed that the really dusty / drab brown tones of Ground-Tyrants at times that sort of "don't match the plates" is simply a question of feather wear / molt timing but I don't actually know anything about this, it is just an assumption.

 

[Madlog]

Thanks a lot!
Taking into account that Puna is much more likely than Cinereous at this location and the slight wash on the crown I will go with Puna.

I also looked at some photos of Puna Ground-Tyrants at the Macaulay Library and as you reported from personal experience, the birds can appear surprisingly brownish.

Thanks to both of you for your advice!