www.ornitologiacolombiana.org/revista.htm Ornitología Colombiana Ornitología Colombiana Colombiana Ornitología Abstract Yanayacu BiologicalStation andCenter for Creative Studiesc F.Greeney Harold . Conversely, my own fieldwork on on fieldwork own my Conversely, genus. this to regards with correct was Collins that clear cula of four of nestlings described The Grallaricula both in feathers downy of “covering the that conclusion the to came Collins criptions, des- authors’ earlier of assessment his on Based nestlingdescriptionssevenspecies of for in used wording of vagueness the cited accurately He hatching). at present (those plumages natal of descriptions accurate and detailed more for need the to pointed Collins examples, as (Grallariidae) the Using re need may groups some in mages plu- natal reported the sizes; sample greater with re need development of plumage patterns early geographic broad signal; logenetic phy- limited, but some, show patterns conclusions:down natal broad three reached (1910) Collins , in pterylosis natal of survey recent a In Palabras clave: hacenconuna cobertura poco densadeplumones largos. géneroespecies del las concluyentemente tro que demue evaluaciónCollins,y extiendodelay aclaronotatororois (Grallariidae).estalos natales los plumajesde En de ción significanciautilidadenreconstruccionessudiscutió y y nas eseseincluyóunaartículoevalu filogenéticas. Comoparte de artículoCollinsunreciente,estadoactual revisó(2010)el delconocimientoEn paser avesnatales sobrelos plumajes las de Resumen words:Key plumes. that (Grallariidae). of usefulnesssignificanceandphylogenetic in reconstructions. their discussed and plumages natal on knowledge of state current the reviewed(2010) Collins paper, recent a In [email protected] Grallaricula Grallaricula completely lack plumage at hatching, and it is is it and hatching, at plumage lackcompletely

Grallaria, Grallaricula Grallaria,

npta i cery o ntl down.” natal not clearly is antpittas Grallaria, Grallaricula Grallaria, Grallaria antpittas hatch with no natal down and that and down natal no with hatch antpittas The natal plumages natal The of antpittas (Grallariidae)

12: 12: 65

With this brief note I clarify and expand upon Collins's assessment and conclusively demonstrateconclusively andassessment Collins's upon expand and clarify I note brief this With

and Los plumajes natales de natales losplumajes tororois Los (Grallariidae) - 68 , Grallariidae,, hatching, natal down,nestling, pterylosis

Grallaricula ,Grallariidae, eclosión, plumajenatal, pterilosis Grallaria - - evaluation.

evaluation Grallaria antpittas Grallari- Grallaricula Grallaricula

and

.

Included in this paper was an assessment of the natalIncludedassessmentwastheanthisplumagespaper of in 65 oFoch 721 y Amazonas, Quito, Ecuador. Grallaria viana (B) Napo; Sumaco, Pacto 2002, December hatching(A) ofday the onEcuador 1. Figure eclosionan sin plumón natal y que las del génerodel las que y natalplumón eclosionansin

, May15 2003, Cosanga, Napo.

antpittas hatch with a sparse covering of long down long of covering sparse a with hatch antpittas Nestling

Grallaricula

npta poorpe in photographed antpittas Grallaricula flavirostris Grallaricula

Grallaricula peru- Grallaricula Grallaria

2012 , 10,

a- lo s- i-

Breve Nota

Greeney

Figure 2 Nestling Grallaricula antpittas photographed in Ecuador: (A) ca. 12-day-old Grallaricula lineifrons, 10 February 2012, Papallacta, Napo; (B) 13-day-old Grallaricula peruviana, 28 May 2003, Cosanga, Napo; (C) ca. 12-day-old Grallaricula nana, 17 November 2006, Cosanga, Napo; (D) ca. 10-day-old Grallaricula flavirostris, 10 December 2002, Pacto Sumaco, Napo. life histories has shown that Grallaria antpittas do GRALLARIA. – Figures 3a-3c show the nestlings of indeed hatch with natal down, contrary to Collins’s three species of Grallaria, only hours after hatch- assessment. With this brief note, therefore, I feel it ing, just long enough for their natal down to dry. is my duty to defend the unalienable right of Gra- To erase any further doubt, Figure 3d shows a llaria antpittas to bear plumes. nestling Grallaria ruficapilla removed from the bro- ken halves of its eggshell while in the process of GRALLARICULA. – Figure 1 shows the newly hatched hatching. This figure clearly illustrates that, nestlings of two species of Grallaricula, clearly con- contrary to Collins’s (2010) assessment, antpittas in firming their lack of natal down and agreeing with the genus Grallaria bear natal down plumes at Collins’s assessment. Figure 2 shows the nestlings hatching. Figure 4 shows the nestlings of four of four species of Grallaricula, each individual species of Grallaria, each individual more than one more than one week after hatching, and illustrates week after hatching, and illustrates how their the dense covering of downy feathers described plumage is qualitatively similar to that of older for older Grallaricula nestlings by various authors. Grallaricula nestlings (Fig. 2). For both genera, it www.ornitologiacolombiana.org/revista.htm 66 2012 | Número 12 The natal plumages of Antpittas

Figure 3. Nestling Grallaria antpittas photographed in Ecuador on the day of hatching: (A) Grallaria quitensis, 24 October 2004, Papallacta, Napo; (B) Grallaria ridgelyi, 5 March 2010, Tapichalaca, Zamora-Chinchipe; (C) Grallaria ruficapilla, 29 Sep- tember 2004, Cosanga, Napo; (D) Grallaria ruficapilla, 13 March 2005, Yungilla, Azuay. remains to be seen if these downy coverings, and John V. Moore for supporting my field work. which appear after hatching and thus are not con- sidered natal (Wetherbee 1957), are an early- Literature Cited appearing semiplume portion of the incoming ju- venal plumage as proposed by Collins (2010). A COLLINS, C. T. 2010. A review of natal pterylosis in passe- rines: useful information or avian marginalia? Bulletin of closer examination of these down-like feathers the British Ornithologists’ Club 130: 96-101. would confirm them as semiplumes if they grow WETHERBEE, D. K. 1957. Natal plumages and downy ptery- from separate follicles and are attached to the tips loses of passerine of North America. Bulletin of the of incoming juvenal contour feathers. American Museum of Natural History 113: 339-436.

I thank Peter Pyle and an anonymous reviewer for helpful suggestions, and Field Guides, Matt Kaplan, www.ornitologiacolombiana.org/revista.htm 67 2012 | Número 12 Greeney

Figure 4. Older nestlings of Grallaria antpittas in Ecuador: (A) ca. 7-day-old Grallaria flavotincta, 14 February 2009, Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador; (B) ca. 9-day-old Grallaria hypoleuca, 9 December 2011, Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador; (C) 13-day-old Gra- llaria ridgelyi, 18 March 2010, Tapichalaca, Zamora-Chinchipe (E. Lichter-Marck); (D) 10-day-old Grallaria ruficapilla, 29 Sep- tember 2008, Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador (J. Simbaña); (E) ca. 10-day-old Grallaria nuchalis, 17 November 2006, Tapichalaca, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador (M. Juiña); (F) ca. 16-day-old Grallaria alleni, 14 February 2007, Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador.

Recibido: 21 de noviembre de 2011. Aceptado: 10 de agosto de 2012. www.ornitologiacolombiana.org/revista.htm 68 2012 | Número 12