White-throated Barbtail

Local and uncommon; range-restricted to two isolated massifs. Reliable at the right elevation on Cerro Humo (Paría) and in the Turimiquire highlands, but a real effort bird and a sought-after NE Venezuela endemic.

Small (14-15 cm), dark warm-brown furnariid with a stiff, spiny ('barb') tail tip. Whitish throat and upper breast contrasting with darker brown underparts that show whitish streaks/spots; whitish supercilium, brownish ear-coverts, dark gray-brown crown with a blackish scalloped look. Creeper-like posture on mossy trunks.

Wet, mossy montane evergreen forest with a palm- and Araceae-dominated understory. Nominate 1,100-2,400 m (Turimiquire); pariae lower, ~800-1,200 m (Paría Peninsula).

Singly or in pairs, often with mixed flocks; works mossy trunks, vines and the bases of palms low to mid-level in dense, dripping understory — frequently overlooked as it hitches along bark like a treecreeper.

Nominate song low-pitched doubled/tripled whistles or a bubbly reedy series ('we-whúr, we-whúr, we-héét'); pariae gives a rapid, almost rattled variable series of 2-6 subdued mellow notes ('pu-dut...pu-du-du-dut'). The two taxa differ vocally — key for the potential Paría Barbtail split. Recordings on Xeno-canto and Macaulay Library — search 'Premnoplex tatei' (and 'Premnoplex pariae' for the Paría form).

Treat it as a voice-first bird: tape the right subspecies' song (Paría vs Turimiquire differ), get the group quiet, and scan low mossy trunks and palm bases. On Cerro Humo combine it with the Paría endemics push; manage client expectations — it is dark, low and skulking, so prioritize a recording-confirmed ID plus a brief tail-and-throat view.