Brown-rumped Tapaculo

Scytalopus latebricola

Small, mouse-like bird found only at higher elevations in Colombia’s Santa Marta Mountains. Adult is gray with a bit of brown on the rump and lower underparts. Young birds are browner with dark barring and scaling. The only other tapaculo in range is Santa Marta Tapaculo, which has a white crown patch, occurs at lower elevations, and has a different voice. Song starts with several sharp notes, and then abruptly morphs into a harsh, rapid trill. Skulks in cloud forest understory, where it is normally hard to see well.

Identification

The brown-rumped tapaculo is 11.5 cm (4.5 in) long. The adult's upper parts are dark brownish gray and the rump is tawny brown. Its throat, breast, and belly are the same hue as the upper parts but paler. The flanks and lower belly are bright reddish chestnut, sometimes with blackish bars. The juvenile is brown with a barred appearance.

Taxonomy

The brown-rumped tapaculo is monospecific. However, the Merida tapaculo (Scytalopus meridanus), Caracas tapaculo (S. caracae), and Spillmann's tapaculo (S. spillmanni) were all previously considered subspecies of it.

Scientific name
Scytalopus latebricola
Authority
Bangs, 1899
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Rhinocryptidae
Genus
Scytalopus

Range and habitat

The brown-rumped tapaculo is found between 2,000 and 3,660 m (6,560 and 12,010 ft) in the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of northern Colombia. It inhabits the dense undergrowth of humid montane forest and secondary forest.

Migration
Resident species

Behavior

Migration pattern: Resident species.

Conservation

Population trend: stable.

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

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