Collared Crescentchest

The collared crescentchest (Melanopareia torquata) is a species of suboscine passerine bird in the family Melanopareiidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. == Taxonomy == The collared crescentchest was formally described in 1831 by the German naturalist Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied under the binomial name Synallaxis torquatus. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "collared". Wied-Neuwied specified the locality as the "Campo Geral" of inner Brasil. This is the grassland on the border between the Brazilian states of Bahia and Minas Gerais. The collared crescentchest is now one of four crescentchests placed in the genus Melanopareia that was introduced in 1853 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach. Three subspecies are recognised: M. t. torquata (Wied-Neuwied, M, 1831) – east Brazil M. t. rufescens Hellmayr, 1924 – central Brazil and northeast Paraguay M. t. bitorquata (d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837) – east Bolivia The subspecies M. t. bitorquata has sometimes been treated as a separate species, the double-collared crescentchest. The crescentchests (genus Melanopareia) were at one time included in family Rhinocryptidae, the tapaculos. A 2010 publication confirmed earlier work and formally created the present family Melanopareiidae. == Description == The collared crescentchest is 14.5 cm (5.7 in) long. Two unsexed specimens…