Paramillo Tapaculo
Scytalopus canus
A poorly known tapaculo found at high elevations near tree line in the northern reaches of Colombia’s western Andes. It was formerly considered a race of the more widespread Paramo Tapaculo. Adult is uniform gray, lacking obvious markings and without the brown coloration found on many other Andean tapaculos. Young birds are brown and heavily barred. Inhabits tangled understory of stunted forest and clumps of small bushes. Song is a long series of buzzy notes that is steady in pace but descends gradually in pitch.
Identification
The Paramillo tapaculo resembles other Scytalopus tapaculos, being overall dark grey, but lacking the brown lower flanks of the Paramo tapaculo.
Taxonomy
It has traditionally included the more widespread S. opacus as a subspecies, but under the common name Paramo tapaculo (a name now used exclusively for S. opacus). The two have different voices, leading to them being split into separate species in 2010.
- Scientific name
- Scytalopus canus
- Authority
- Chapman, 1915
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Rhinocryptidae
- Genus
- Scytalopus
Range and habitat
The Paramillo tapaculo is endemic to humid highland scrub in the Cordillera Occidental in Colombia. At present it is only known from Páramo de Paramillo and Páramo de Frontino (also known as Paramo del Sol). It may occur elsewhere in the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia. It is restricted to a narrow swath of treeline vegetation (scrub, stunted trees and Polylepis woodland) situated between montane forest and Páramo grasslands that is often just hundreds of meters wide.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
Given the estimated extent of occurrence and observed decline in the extent and quality of habitat, the Paramillo tapaculo has an IUCN status of near threatened. While locally common, the estimated area of suitable habitat within the known range of the Paramillo tapaculo is 3 km2 in total. Only 0.1 km2 is effectively protected by the Fundación ProAves Colibri del Sol Bird Reserve (which also harbours the highly threatened dusky starfrontlet and Fenwick's antpitta). Páramo de Paramillo is a national park, but very poorly protected.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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