White-breasted Tapaculo
Eleoscytalopus indigoticus
Small tapaculo, found close to the ground in the dense understory of humid lowland and submontane forests, where it is usually very hard to see. It is plump with a short tail that is usually held cocked. It has a gray head and back with a white breast and a brown streaky vent and rump. The song, a froglike trill, is easily overlooked.
Identification
The white-breasted tapaculo is 11 cm (4.3 in) long. Males weigh 13 to 18 g (0.46 to 0.63 oz) and females 12.2 to 16 g (0.43 to 0.56 oz). The male's upper parts are blue-gray and its rump reddish brown. The throat, chest, and belly are white and the flanks and vent area are chestnut with dark barring. Males in a small part of its range have more extensive dark underparts. Females and immatures are similar to the males but have browner upper parts.
Taxonomy
The white-breasted tapaculo and the Bahia tapaculo (Eleoscytalopus psychopompus) were formerly placed in the genus Scytalopus, but these two species are now known to be more closely related to the bristlefronts (genus Merulaxis). The Bahia tapaculo has also been proposed as a race of the white-breasted tapaculo, but genetic data refute that. The genetic data also show large differences between the northern and southern populations of white-breasted tapaculo.
- Scientific name
- Eleoscytalopus indigoticus
- Authority
- (Wied-Neuwied, M, 1831)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Rhinocryptidae
- Genus
- Eleoscytalopus
Range and habitat
The white-breasted tapaculo is found in Brazilian states from eastern Bahia south to northeastern Rio Grande do Sul, including western Paraná and eastern Santa Catarina. It inhabits the undergrowth of open forest, forest edges, and dense secondary forest. In elevation it ranges up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The white-breasted tapaculo feeds on insects captured on or very near the ground.<p>One nest was constructed of roots and moss and buried in leaves by a tree trunk. It contained two eggs.<p>The white-breasted tapaculo's song is a seven to eight second trill that increases in volume after the first one or two seconds [1]. It often sings inside tree cavities.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rusty-bellied Shortwing
Brachypteryx hyperythra
A very small, dark bird of dark undergrowth in evergreen forests. The male has gray-blue upperparts, bright orange underparts, and a short white eyebrow. The female is grayish-brown above, with duller orangish underparts. Very shy and inconspicuous. The jingling song consists of high-pitched, bell-like, tinkling notes that accelerate rapidly towards the end.
Blue-breasted Fairywren
Malurus pulcherrimus
Small bird with a very long blue-gray tail held cocked, found from southwestern Western Australia to the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia, where it prefers coastal heath and drier woodland areas. Breeding male has a bright blue helmet, bluish-black breast, blue patch on back, and chestnut shoulders. Female grayish overall, with long blue-gray tail and reddish bill. Nonbreeding male resembles female but has black bill and narrow pale eyering.
Butterfly Coquette
Lophornis verreauxii
Tiny hummingbird with a white rump band and rusty tail. Adult male is stunning, with a flowing, glittering green beard ending in white spots, an iridescent green face, and a small crest. Female and young male are much plainer than male, but they typically have a white throat with dark patch in the middle, and lack the buffy or rusty tones on the underparts shown by females of several similar species. Distinguished from female Peacock Coquette by lack of streaking on the throat. Inhabits humid lowland and foothill forest and is quite scarce in most of its range. It was previously considered to be a subspecies of Festive Coquette.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.