GNATEATERS   -   CONOPOPHAGIDAE

Rufous Gnateater Conopophaga lineata lineata Near Lençois, Bahia state, Brazil. Male? This individual is not showing the white crescent typical of the species. (D3)

Hooded Gnateater Conopophaga roberti About 40 km east of Barra do Corda, Maranhão state, Brazil. Male. A Brazilian endemic. The Hooded Gnateater is a species rarely seen by birders - not because it is rare, but because it inhabits an area of northeastern Brazil that is off the beaten track. I found this one on a random rest stop just off the side of a busy highway. (D3)

Ash-throated Gnateater Conopophaga peruviana Yasuní Research Station, Orellana province, Ecuador. Found in the western Amazon region, south of the Rio Napo. (S6)

Black-cheeked Gnateater Conopophaga melanops perspicillata(?) Michelin forest, Ituberá, Bahia state, Brazil. Male. Based on range, the subspecies should be perspicillata, but this may not be a valid taxon. It appears far more like the plate of nigrifrons in HBW Vol. 8 than of melanops, with the broader black on the forehead and more extensive white on the belly (compare to next shot). However there is apparently a lot of individual variation. (D3)

Black-cheeked Gnateater Conopophaga melanops menanops Reserva Ecologica de Guapi Assu, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Male. This is a characteristic bird of lowland Atlantic Forest, and it can be rather common in well-forested areas. (D3)

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