Rufous-capped Warbler, Basileuterus rufifron

Rufous-capped Warbler, Basileuterus rufifron caudatus. Photograph taken within the Reserva Monte Mojino, in Alamos, Sonora, December 2019. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

The Rufous-capped Warbler, Basileuterus rufifrons caudatus, is one of five subspecies of Rufous-capped Warbler, all five of which are found in Mexico. They are a member of the Parulidae Family of New World Warblers, which has one hundred eleven individual species that have been placed into eighteen genera, and one of twelve global members of the Basileuterus Genus. They are known in Mexico as chipe gorra canela.

The Rufous-capped Warbler is small in stature. The sexes are similar in appearance. They have rufous head and black lores with a yellow throat and chest with a conspicuous white supercilium, gray nape, olive mantle and white belly. Their tail is long. Their bill is black, their iris is dark, and their legs are pink. Their tail and wings are dusky gray with yellow-green boarders.

The Rufous-capped Warbler is found in dry-scrub, brushy ravines, open woodland and secondary growth, forest edges and coffee plantations ranging from the lowland to elevations of 3,000 m (9,840 feet). They are generally found in pairs and forage as individuals, in pairs or in mixed flocks on insects and other invertebrates and on seasonal berries. They have a characteristic habit of cocking their tail and flicking their wings. The Rufous-capped Warbler has been poorly studies and very limited information about their behavioral patterns and biology has been documented.

The Rufous-capped Warbler is very similar to other Basileuterus Warblers including the Chestnut-capped Warbler, Basileuterus delattrii (yellow belly, chestnut crown, white spot below the eye), but has a rufous colored crown and cheeks and a white supraciliary band.

The Rufous-capped Warbler is found throughout Mexico with its range extending south into Belize and Guatemala. The caudatus subspecies is found in northwest Mexico in Sonora and western Chihuahua south to northern Durango.

From a conservation perspective the Rufous-capped Warbler is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are common in some areas.