Muisca Antpitta
Grallaria rufula
Plump bird with long legs and a short tail that ranges in the eastern Andes of Colombia, barely reaching over the border into Venezuela. Plumage is chestnut brown with an orange tinge to the breast and slightly paler belly; sometimes shows a faint mustache streak. Skulks in the understory of high elevation elfin forest and usually stays on the ground, but sometimes comes up to a low perch to sing. Common vocalization is a sweet, rising whistle followed by a lower pitched gargle, and also gives a series of flat whistles. It used to be called Rufous Antpitta.
Taxonomy
The Muisca antpitta inherited the scientific name (Grallaria rufula) after the rufous antpitta's taxonomic split because the type specimen for G. rufula was found near Bogotá in what is now recognized as the Muisca antpitta's range. The 12 species resulting from the split were separated based on plumage, vocalization and genetic evidence.<p>The newly revised Muisca antpitta has no subspecies and is thus monotypic.<p>The common name was chosen in 2020 for the Muisca civilization of the eastern Andes, which continues to this day in contemporary Colombian society. The specific name, rufula, comes from the Latin for 'red-headed' or rufous.
- Scientific name
- Grallaria rufula
- Authority
- Lafresnaye, 1843
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Grallariidae
- Genus
- Grallaria
Range and habitat
The Muisca antpitta is found in a tiny portion of Táchira, Venezuela and through northern-central Colombia. It is found at elevations of 1,850–3,800 m. It inhabits humid montane forests and is most commonly found in the understory and on the forest floor.<p>It is separated from the closely related Perijá antpitta by the Serranía de Los Motilones mountain range, and it is separated from most of the Equatorial antpitta population by the Magdalena river valley.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
The rufous antpitta was considered to be of least concern by the IUCN Red List, but since the taxonomic split a re-evaluation of the resulting species is necessary. The Perijá antpitta is already rated endangered by the IUCN.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Moustached Antpitta
Grallaria alleni
Medium-sized antpitta. Typical antpitta shape: plump and short-tailed with long legs, like a grapefruit on stilts. Mostly brown with a brighter cinnamon belly and grayish crown. Note blotchy white mustache stripe. Very similar in appearance to Scaled Antpitta but typically occurs at slightly higher elevations. Moustached has a less pronounced scaly pattern on the upperparts, browner cheeks, and a slower, higher-pitched song without a stutter in the middle than Scaled Antpitta. Fairly rare and local within limited range in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. Occurs in mossy cloud forest in the lower subtropics from around 1,850–2,000 m. Very rarely seen; typically stays hidden in the dense understory, occasionally hopping onto forest trails at dawn or dusk.
Blue-headed Pitta
Hydrornis baudii
Small and unique gem-like pitta of Borneo’s lowland dipterocarp forests—both pristine and logged. Male’s glowing electric-blue crown is eye-catching even in the gloom of the forest floor; also note dark blue underparts, bright white throat, and cinnamon-brown back. Female has a warm cinnamon head and paler brown underparts. Both sexes have dark wings marked with a white streak. Song is a mellow “puh-yih’wooooo!”.
Bar-backed Partridge
Arborophila brunneopectus
An earth-colored partridge with a black throat and white cheeks. Most similar in appearance to White-cheeked Partridge; look out for a longer, much thicker white brow which extends down to the neck and a reddish patch of bare skin encircling the eye. Fine dark barring on the back isn’t as noticeable as bold black-edged white scaling on the flanks. Often found in drier forested habitats than other partridges, ranging from lowlands into the foothills.
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