Buff-breasted Earthcreeper (Upucerthia validirostris) [XC273017]
by Cristian Pinto from Mountains east of Yavi, Jujuy, Argentina (song)
Buff-breasted Earthcreeper (Upucerthia validirostris) [XC272684]
by Peter Boesman from El Infiernillo pass north of Tafi del Valle, Tucuman, Argentina (call)
Subspecies
Closest to Plain-breasted Earthcreeper (Upucerthia jelskii) and White-throated Earthcreeper (Upucerthia albigula). Has been considered to form a superspecies with Plain-breasted Earthcreeper (Upucerthia jelskii), and may be conspecific. Considered together, the two exhibit a stepped cline in plumage coloration (increasingly rufescent to south) and perhaps a smooth cline in measurements, and songs sound very similar (although written descriptions differ somewhat). Further study is required. Specimen from southern Bolivia (Potosí), allegedly of this species, is evidently indistinguishable from subspecies pallida of Plain-breasted Earthcreeper (Upucerthia jelskii).
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
validirostris (Burmeister, 1861) - North-western Argentina (Salta south to Mendoza and western Córdoba).
rufescens Nores, 1986 - North-western Argentina (Sierra de Famatina, in La Rioja).
saturata Carriker, 1933 - Western Andes of central Peru (Ancash, Huánuco, north-western Pasco). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Plain-breasted Earthcreeper (Upucerthia jelskii).
jelskii (Cabanis, 1874) - Andes of central Peru (Lima, Junín, Huancavelica). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Plain-breasted Earthcreeper (Upucerthia jelskii).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet