Campo miner

Geositta poeciloptera

Photo by Bertrando Campos (Go Up 7)

Common name:
campo miner (en); andarilho (pt); géositte des campos (fr); minero brasileño (es); camposerdhacker (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Furnariidae

Range:
This species is found in southern Brazil, from Mato Grosso, Goiás and Minas Gerais south to São Paulo, and marginally into north-eastern Bolivia and possibly northern Paraguay.

Size:
These birds are 11-12,5 cm long and weigh 17-19 g.

Habitat:
The campo miner is found in dry cerrado grasslands and savannas, often using recently burned areas. They are present at altitudes of 500-1.200 m.

Diet:
They forage on the ground, mostly taking insects and other arthropods, but also some seeds. They often take advantage of fires to find their prey.

Breeding:
Campo miners nest inside an armadillo burrow, an old swallow nest or sometimes on a tunnel excavated by themselves, which is lined with dry plant matter. There is no information regarding clutch size and the incubation and fledgling periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a very large breeding range, but is described as uncommon and patchily distributed. The population is suspected to have declined rapidly owing to continued habitat destruction and degradation within the range, mainly caused by mechanized agriculture, cattle ranching and plantation of exotic tree species. Fire suppression may also have a negative effect on this species.