Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush

The ruddy-capped nightingale-thrush is about 15 to 18 cm (5.9 to 7.1 in) long and weighs about 30 g (1.1 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies C. f. frantzii have a rich rufous-brown to russet crown and a grayish face that sometimes has an olive tinge. Their back and rump are brownish olive with a russet wash and their uppertail coverts are deep rufous-brown. Their wings are mostly the same color as the back and rump but with silvery white undersides on the flight feathers. Their tail is deep rufous-brown. Their chin and throat are whitish with dark flecks. Their breast is pale gray with an olive tinge and dark flecks. Their belly, vent, and undertail coverts are whitish. Juveniles have a dark olive-brown to reddish brown crown and upperparts. Their face is sootier than adults'. Their breast is olive with darker feather tips. Their lower breast, belly, and flanks are whitish with olive or olive-brown bars. The other subspecies of the ruddy-capped nightingale-thrush differ from the nominate and each other thus:

C. f. omiltemensis: duller upperparts and whiter underparts than nominate C. f. nelsoni: like nominate with a brownish wash on the breast C. f. chiapensis: like omiltemensis with a slightly darker tail and uppertail coverts C. f. alticola: grayer underparts than nominate C. f. juancitonis: smaller than nominate with more reddish crown C. …

The ruddy-capped nightingale-thrush has a disjunct distribution. The subspecies are found thus:

C. f. omiltemensis: southwestern Mexico C. f. nelsoni: south-central Mexico C. f. chiapensis: southern Mexico into western Guatemala C. f. alticola: from Chiapas in southern Mexico south through Guatemala into El Salvador C. f. juancitonis: El Salvador and Honduras C. f. waldroni: northern Nicaragua C. f. frantzii: Costa Rica C. f. wetmorei: western Panama's Chiriquí Province The ruddy-capped nightingale-thrush primarily inhabits montane evergreen forest (cloudforest) and pine-oak forest in the subtropical and lower temperate zones. It also occurs in nearby secondary forest, thickets, and modified habitats such as clearings. Overall it ranges in elevation mostly between 1,200 and 3,100 m (3,900 and 10,200 ft). In Mexico it occurs between 1,500 and 3,500 m (4,900 and 11,500 ft), in northern Central America between 1,500 and 3,050 m (4,900 and 10,000 ft), in Costa Rica between 1,500 and 2,500 m (4,900 and 8,200 ft), and in Panama between 1,200 and 2,400 m (3,900 and 7,900 ft).

The ruddy-capped nightingale-thrush feeds primarily on insects, other invertebrates, and berries. It usually forages singly but in pairs during the breeding season. It forages on the ground and near it in the forest undergrowth. It has been observed following army ant swarms and also feeding on a small frog.