Jalca Tapaculo
Scytalopus frankeae
Long known to ornithologists as something different (and informally called “Millpo Tapaculo”), this bird was finally described as a new species in 2020. It inhabits grassy, rock-strewn areas above tree line at high elevations in the eastern Andes of central Peru. Plumage is mainly gray with tan rear parts that are faintly barred, and it sometimes shows a faint, whitish eyebrow; female is browner than male. Similar in appearance to several other tapaculos, and best identified by range and voice. Song, often given from atop a rock, is a seemingly endless series of raspy chip notes.
Identification
Like all members of genus Scytalopus, the jalca tapaculo is a small, plump, dull-colored bird. It is about 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long. Males weigh about 17 g (0.60 oz) and females about 16 g (0.56 oz). The male's crown and much of the face are dark gray, with a silvery white supercilium of variable size. Some also have a silvery crown. The nape and mantle are dark gray washed with dark reddish brown; the lower back and rump are cinnamon brown with blackish curving bars near the feather ends. The outer tail feathers of most males are dark reddish brown with narrow cinnamon brown bars near the feather ends. The inner tail feathers, and all of the tail feathers on some individuals, are banded with dusky gray and cinnamon. The wings are gnerally brown with cinnamon and blackish markings. The throat and belly are light gray, the breast a darker gray, and the lower flanks and vent area tawny brown with blackish markings. The female is similar to the male, but generally browner ranging from cinnamon brown to olive brown.
Taxonomy
The jalca tapaculo is one of several new tapaculo species first described or split from existing species in 2020. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society accepted it as a new species in July 2020, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) followed suit in January 2021, and the Clements taxonomy in August 2021. It is monotypic.<p>The species' English name "jalca" references a local Peruvian term for the species' preferred habitat. Its specific epithet honors Dr. Irma Franke, "a major contributor to recent Peruvian ornithology, who participated in the expedition that first discovered the Jalca Tapaculo in 1985".
- Scientific name
- Scytalopus frankeae
- Authority
- Rosenberg, KV, Davis, TJ, Rosenberg, GH, Hosner, Robbins, Valqui & Lane, 2020
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Rhinocryptidae
- Genus
- Scytalopus
Range and habitat
The jalca tapaculo is endemic to east-central Peru. It is known from several sites in each of two general locations about 150 km (93 mi) apart. In the north it is found in the departments of Huánuco and Pasco and in the south the department of Junín. Its northern limit is the Huallaga River and in the south the Mantaro River. It mostly inhabits areas of dense bunchgrass and scattered shrubs ("jalca"), where it sticks to ravines and steep rocky slopes that are not grazed by sheep and cattle. It also occurs at the edge of treeline forest and in Polylepis and riparian evergreen forest. In elevation it ranges between 3,400 and 4,200 m (11,200 and 13,800 ft).
Behavior
The jalca tapaculo forages on the ground by moving among moss, rocks, and clumps of grass and by hopping along branches near the ground. Details of its diet are lacking; only insects have been identified as prey.<p>Very little is known about the jalca tapaculo's breeding phenology. Its breeding season appears to span at least July to September, based on observations of adults in breeding condition.<p>The jalca tapaculo's song is "a long series of regularly repeated reverberating churrs in bouts lasting several minutes."[1] There are slight differences between the songs of the northern and southern populations. Two simple calls are also known.
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rusty-tinged Antpitta
Grallaria przewalskii
Medium-sized antpitta restricted to cloud forest along the east slope of the Andes in northern Peru. Adult is rich cinnamon brown with a white belly and throat (sometimes tinged yellow), a gray crown, and a bluish eye-ring. The rarely-seen juvenile is much darker with buff barring. The species inhabits forest understory and usually stays on the ground, where it is hard to see. Some lodges in the area have feeding stations for it, making it much easier to find. Song is a series of three short notes; it can be imitated by proficient whistlers.
Bahia Spinetail
Synallaxis cinerea
Range-restricted species with a long, ragged-ended spiky tail. Bright cinnamon crown, wings, and tail contrast with ash-gray face and underparts. Note the narrow cinnamon-buff eyebrow. Occurs in montane forest, where it forages in the understory. Sings a double-noted “di-réét, di-réét,” repeated continually.
Sulu Cuckooshrike
Coracina guillemardi
Sleek but sturdy gray bird with fierce pale eyes, endemic to the Sulu Archipelago, in the southwestern Philippines. Uniform overall, but darker on the tail, wingtips, and between the eye and bill. Inhabits lowland and foothill forest and forest edge, where forages at middle and upper levels, sometimes associating with other species. Gives a range of high-pitched and scratchy calls, including repeated squeal-whistles. Formerly treated as part of a more broadly-defined “Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike.”
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.