Rufous-banded miner

The rufous-banded miner (Geositta rufipennis) is a species of bird in the subfamily Sclerurinae, the leaftossers and miners, of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile.

The rufous-banded miner is a medium to large member of its genus. It is 14 to 17 cm (5.5 to 6.7 in) long and weighs 25 to 54 g (0.88 to 1.9 oz). The sexes are alike. The nominate subspecies G. r. rufipennis has a brownish gray face with a pale supercilium and a dark gray-brown line behind the eye. It is dull sandy olive from its crown to its uppertail coverts. Its central tail feathers have dull tawny bases, grayish brown middles, a wide blackish band near the end, and dull tawny tips. The rest have progressively redder bases and smaller black bands to the outermost. Its wing is dull gray brown with paler edges to the feathers. Its flight feathers have rufescent bases that form a wide band. Its throat is whitish, its breast pale brownish buff, its belly and flanks paler with a cinnamon tinge, and its undertail coverts dull pale tawny. Its iris is brown, its straight medium-length bill is blackish gray with a pale horn base to the mandible, and its legs and feet are blue-gray.

The other subspecies differ in both their size and colors. G. r. ottowi is larger and grayer than the nominate, with narrower wing bars and a paler underside to the wings. G. r. hoyi has almost entirely gray upperparts; its underparts are mostly pinkish gray with the breast being less pinkish. G. r. giaii is similar to hoyi but is a slightly darker gray above, has narrower wing bands, and a significantly longer bill. G. r. fasciata has grayer upperparts and is darker overall than the other subspecies. G. r. harrisoni is the smallest subspecies; compared to fasciata it has a whiter belly and little or no rufous on its flanks and undertail coverts.