Crescent-chested Puffbird

The crescent-chested puffbird is 17.5 to 20 cm (6.9 to 7.9 in) long. The nominate M. s. striata weighs from about 40 to 47 g (1.4 to 1.7 oz); M. s. minor is smaller. The nominate's head and upperparts are blackish with buffy streaks. The face is rufous around the bill and has a buffy or white "moustache". The wing is brown with buffy markings; the tail is plain dark brown. The upper breast has a white crescent with a black band below it. The lower breast is rufous, the center of the belly whitish, and the sides of the breast and belly dull brown with buffy scallops. M. s. minor has a brighter breastband and its underparts are whiter without barring.

The crescent-chested puffbird's nominate subspecies is found in southeastern Brazil from Bahia and Minas Gerais south to Paraná and Santa Catarina. M. s. minor is found in a small disjunct range in Maranhão and Piauí states in Brazili's Northeast Region. The species inhabits a variety of semi-open landscapes such as the edges of humid lowland forest, logged forest, and secondary forest. It often occurs along roads and at the edges of clearings but rarely in the forest interior. In elevation it ranges from sea level to 2,100 m (6,890 ft).

The crescent-chested puffbird appears to be a mostly solitary forager though there are reports of it following army ant swarms with other birds. Its diet is not well documented but is believed to be mostly invertebrates.