basal phalanx of middle toe united for more than half its length to lateral toes; claws moderate to rather large, strongly curved, that of hallux decidedly shorter than the digit.
Coloration. — Above brown, usually darker and duller (sometimes more grayish) on pileum and hindneck, the tail and upper tail-coverts chestnut or chestnut-brown; under parts brown or olive, more or less distinctly streaked with tawny, ochraceous, or buffy — the pileum and hindneck, or even the back, sometimes similarly streaked. Sexes alike.
Nidification. — Unknown?
Range. — Costa Rica to Ecuadór (to Peru, Bolivia, and southeastern Brazil?[1]). (Several species.[1])
RHOPOCTITES RUFOBRUNNEUS (Lawrence).
STREAKED AUTOMOLUS.
Adults (sexes alike). — Pileum and hindneck dark grayish brown or brownish gray, the feathers margined with blackish; back, scapulars, and wings deep warm-sepia or mummy brown, passing into chestnut on lower rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail, the shafts of rectrices much darker; lores mixed dusky and grayish; suborbital and auricular regions streaked with dusky and dull ochraceous or light brownish; malar region, sides of neck (anteriorly), chin, and throat ochraceous (more or less deep), the feathers more or less distinctly edged or narrowly margined with dusky olive or blackish; rest of under parts light tawny-olive, more olive on chest, where more or less broadly streaked with ochraceous, usually more ochraceous on abdomen, the under tail-coverts more rufescent; under wing-coverts tawny-ochraceous, the inner webs of remiges broadly edged with pale ochraceous- buff or deep pinkish buff; bill black, the mandible usually brownish basally; legs and feet horn color (in dried skins).
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The above diagnosis and description are based exclusively on Philydor rufobrunneus Lawrence and Automolus ignobilis Sclater and Salvin, but several other species referred to Automolus by Sclater and others seem to be nearly related and perhaps are — some of them at least — congeneric. These are: Automolus ferruginolentus (Maximilian), A. holostictus Sclater and Salvin, A. striaticeps Taczanowski, A. subulatus (Spix) and A. stictoptilus (Cabanis), none of which have been examined by me.
Rhopoctites ignobilis differs considerably from R. rufo-brunneus (type of the genus) in shorter, deeper, and relatively more compressed bill, and, apparently, in relatively shorter tail; but the differences are within the usual normal limits of variation.
