Grey-breasted seedsnipe
The grey-breasted seedsnipe is a species of bird in the family Thinocoridae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.
Taxonomy and systematics
The grey-breasted seedsnipe has two subspecies, the nominate Thinocorus orbigyianus orbigyianus and T. o. ingae.Description
The grey-breasted seedsnipe is long and weighs. The male has a gray head, neck, and upper breast, and a white throat with a black border. Its upperparts are cinnamon buff in a vermiculate pattern. The wings show white bars above and below in flight. The lower breast and belly are white; a narrow black band separates them from the upper breast. The female's head and breast are pale buff with heavy dark streaks. The two subspecies are essentially alike though T. o. ingae has shorter wings and legs than the nominate.Distribution and habitat
The grey-breasted seedsnipe is a bird of the Andes. T. o. ingae is found from the Department of Cajamarca in Peru through western Bolivia into northern Chile and northwestern Argentina as far as Catamarca and possibly Mendoza Provinces. The nominate subspecies is found from northern Chile's Antofagasta Region and northwestern Argentina's La Rioja Province south into Tierra del Fuego. It is a year round resident in most of its range though it moves north out of Tierra del Fuego in winter. It also makes seasonal altitudinal movements.The grey-breasted seedsnipe inhabits Puna grassland, mostly in areas with low matted vegetation or short grass near bogs. In Peru it is common between elevation. Further south it mostly breeds above but can be found in summer below in Chilean Patagonia.