ML617087167

Media notes

**Rare. Found a decently sized understory flock and did some playback of M. sunensis. Immediately got a response. Followed the flock across the rolling terra firme and got a few good recordings. Jiovany thought the flock was on the small side for what this species was traditionally found in elsewhere in Ecuador. Male aggressively responded to playback, flaring it's rump and dropping it's wings as in the video. (Time - 0827)

Observation details

**rare. The highlight of the morning was a male Rio Suno Antwren (Myrmotherula sunensis). Historically a difficult species to find, it seems to exclusively keep company with large, diverse understory mixed-species flocks in terra firme. It has become even rarer with only four documented records in eBird in the past decade. When I first met Jiovany at Tiputini during the November 2023 scouting trip, it was the first species he asked about. His hypothesis is that the increased rarity of this species is connected to the declines in the size and abundance of flocks in the region. Ever the optimist, Jiovany always tries a bit of playback when he encounters an understory flock in terra firme. I picked up the habitat as well. In a particularly hilly section I played the Merlin cut to a flock that had just crossed the trail and immediately got a response! The flock was moving away quickly so Jiovany and I bushwhacked after it.

Additional species

• Long-winged Antwren Myrmotherula longipennis
• Green Oropendola Psarocolius viridis
• Red-crowned Ant-Tanager Habia rubica
• Channel-billed Toucan Ramphastos vitellinus
• Yellow-tufted Woodpecker Melanerpes cruentatus
• Rusty-belted Tapaculo Liosceles thoracicus
• Dusky-throated Antshrike Thamnomanes ardesiacus
• Rufous-fronted Greenlet Tunchiornis ferrugineifrons
• Cinereous Antshrike Thamnomanes caesius
• Plumbeous Pigeon Patagioenas plumbea
• Black-faced Antbird Myrmoborus myotherinus
• Yellow-billed Jacamar Galbula albirostris
• Fulvous Shrike-Tanager Lanio fulvus
• Amazonian Black-throated Trogon Trogon rufus
• Dusky-capped Greenlet Pachysylvia hypoxantha
• Gilded Barbet Capito auratus