Tacarcuna Tapaculo
Scytalopus panamensis
A distinctive Scytalopus tapaculo: dark gray overall with pale throat and breast, dark chestnut belly, and an obvious pale eyebrow. In typical tapaculo fashion, acts like a mouse, scurrying around on or near the ground within montane forest. Very difficult to see. Fairly common within extremely limited range in Cerro Tacarcuna and Cerro Mali near the border of Panama and Colombia; the only Scytalopus that occurs there. Far more often heard than seen; listen for short series of four to seven “enk! enk! enk!” notes.
Identification
The Tacarcuna tapaculo is 11 cm (4.3 in) long. The male's upperparts are dark gray and the lower back and rump are reddish. The throat and breast are lighter gray and the flanks and crissum (the area around the cloaca) are tawny with black bars. It has a prominent whitish supercilium. The female is similar but has browner upper parts.
Taxonomy
The Tacarcuna tapaculo was formerly called "pale-throated tapaculo", and what was later split as Nariño tapaculo (Scytalopus vicinior) was included as a subspecies.
- Scientific name
- Scytalopus panamensis
- Authority
- Chapman, 1915
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Rhinocryptidae
- Genus
- Scytalopus
Range and habitat
The Tacarcuna tapaculo is found only in Cerro Tacarcuna, which straddles the Panama-Colombia border, and Cerro Mali, slightly further south in Panama. It inhabits the undergrowth of humid montane forest and its edges at elevations from 1,050 to 1,500 m (3,440 to 4,920 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Tacarcuna tapaculo forages on the ground and low in vegetation, usually in pairs. Its diet has not been recorded. Nothing is known about its breeding phenology.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Brown-backed Scrub-Robin
Cercotrichas hartlaubi
Pretty robin with a dark brown back, a boldly marked face, and an unstreaked gray chest. Found in broadleaf woodland, moist savanna, and lush cultivation. Shy bird that generally skulks in thick undergrowth except when perched up to sing. Song is a variable, musical series of whistles. Similar to Red-backed Scrub-Robin, but has two clean white wingbars, a darker brown back and crown, and a wider and bolder black band across the tail.
Black Rosy-Finch
Leucosticte atrata
The darkest of the three rosy-finches with a dark chocolate body. Look for pink highlights in the wings and tail; gray wraps around the back of head. Often in mixed flocks in winter with other rosy-finches. Breeds on cliffs at high elevation; difficult to find in the summer. Feeds on seeds and insects. Look for them foraging on alpine snowfields. Visits feeders, primarily in winter.
Tawny Fish-Owl
Ketupa flavipes
A large brown owl with wide yellow eyes and sideways-drooping ear tufts; rich tawny brown plumage with black mottling unique in its range. Always found in close proximity to rivers or lakes, usually roosting in dense waterside groves by day. Hunts fish from a low perch at dusk and at night. Hunting birds are seldom observed, as they hunt from tangles and other dense vegetation. Other horned owls in range are either much smaller (Long-eared Owl, scops-owls) or much larger (Eurasian Eagle-Owl). Pairs duet, giving 2-3 deep hoots; younger birds beg with higher-pitched screeching calls.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.