January
Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant
Scientific name: Anairetes alpinus
Spanish name: Torito Pecho Cenizo (Chhichhillaqh jamach´I – Aymara; Chúspi pisqu – Quechua)
Status: Endangered (IUCN red list of endangered species)
Habitat and behaviour: Rare to locally uncommon in high Andean humid Polylepis-Gynoxys woodlands of Peru and Bolivia. The Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant has an unmistakable appearance with black central crown feathers elongated into a thin, bifurcated crest.
This restless little flycatcher is generally observed solitary, in pairs or family groups foraging on outer branches for arthropods and small invertebrates by energetic sallies and gleanings.
Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant is principally threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. Overgrazing, burning and cutting of forests for firewood and timber prevents the regeneration of Polylepis habitats, home of the Ash-breasted. Territory size of the Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant has been estimated at between 1 and 2 ha, and the species does not appear to persist in forest fragments smaller than 1 ha.
To save the species and it´s habitat CEPF grantee Armonía is working on integral Polylepis reforestation and community development projects with indigenous Aymara and Quechua inhabitants.
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To ensure that the Polylepis Forest program is a success we need to enhance our conservation measures and create behavioural changes.
The program urgently needs support to fund the ongoing protection of the remaining Polylepis forest fragments, or there will not be enough habitat to support viable populations of Royal Cinclodes and Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant.
If you would like to support the Polylepis Forest program – to save these endangered and highly specialized birds – please donate.
Discover more
Read about the Polylepis reforestation program
Polylepis forests: saving a biodiversity hotspot of the tropical Andes
Bird of the Month December: Red-fronted Macaw
Bird of the Month November: Cock-tailed Tyrant