Puna Tapaculo
Scytalopus simonsi
Tiny, plump gray-and-brown bird that looks almost tailless. Males are ashy gray with warm reddish brown on their back half; females are similar, with the warm reddish brown extending farther up the back to the crown. Forages singly or in pairs low in dense vegetation in stunted elfin forest and humid shrubby grassland at high elevations, at and above the treeline; often found in Polylepis groves. A bit less shy than most tapaculos, but still heard far more often than seen. Its song is a single squeaky “tcheur” note, repeated at a steady pace of about 1-2 notes per second in a long series.
Identification
The puna tapaculo is 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) long. Three males weighed 15.7 to 20 g (0.55 to 0.71 oz) and a female 15.7 g (0.55 oz). The adult male's upper parts are gray, often washed with brown on the neck and back. It has a narrow pale supercilium. The throat and breast are also gray. The rump, flanks, and belly can be cinnamon or olive-buff and have dark bars. The adult female is similar to the males that have the brown wash; otherwise they may be paler. Immatures are paler overall but have a heavier brown wash on the upper parts. The entire underside is barred.
Taxonomy
What is now known as the puna tapaculo was originally described as a species in 1917. It was later treated as synonymous with Tschudi's tapaculo (Scytalopus acutirostris). Still later it was treated as Scytalopus magellanicus simonsi, a subspecies of Magellanic tapaculo. Following a study published in 1997, it was elevated to species rank because of differences in their vocalizations. Its English name honors American scientific collector Perry O. Simons.
- Scientific name
- Scytalopus simonsi
- Authority
- Chubb, C, 1917
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Rhinocryptidae
- Genus
- Scytalopus
Range and habitat
The puna tapaculo is found on the eastern slope of the Andes at elevations of 2,900 to 4,300 m (9,500 to 14,100 ft) from Cordillera Vilcanota in Peru's Department of Cuzco southeast to Bolivia's Cochabamba Department. It inhabits elfin forest at tree line and above there is in small shrubs and trees among grass tussocks. It can also be found in Polylepis woodlands.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Though very little is known about the puna tapaculo's diet, the species is probably insectivorous though seeds are also eaten.<p>Very little is also known about the puna tapaculo's breeding phenology. One nest has been described; it was a cup lined with grass, placed at the end of a burrow approximately 1 m (3.3 ft) deep. It had a dome of loosely woven grass over it and contained two eggs. After hatching, both adults provisioned the nestlings.<p>The song of the puna tapaculo was described by D.L. Lane as "a series of descending churred phrases: tcherr tcherr tcherr tcherr ...." [1]. Lane described a call as "a descending whinny: djee-ee-ee-eer" [2].
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Tanimbar Oriole
Oriolus decipiens
A dull brown oriole with a lighter head and a dark feathered face patch. Singles and pairs inhabit middle to upper levels of forest, woodlands, mangroves, and cultivated areas in lowlands and foothills. Confined to the Tanimbar Islands. Considerably smaller than Tanimbar Friarbird, with a more rounded head shape, a straighter bill with a slightly thicker tip, and no naked facial skin. Ringing call composed of flutey phrases, “we-we-weOW” and “churWOOW,” with first chur notes being rasping.
Little Stint
Calidris minuta
Tiny shorebird with extensive range across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Very rare vagrant in North America. All ages show dark legs and a straight, fine-tipped bill. Adults in breeding plumage are variably flushed with bright rusty orange on the head, neck sides, and upperparts, usually brightest in mid- to late-summer. Compared with breeding Red-necked Stint, note white throat and more uniformly bright wing coverts and scapulars on Little. Juveniles are typically quite bright and neatly patterned above, often with bold white stripes or "braces" down the back, and have very black-centered wing coverts and tertials. Nonbreeding birds rather plain pale gray and extremely difficult to separate from other small “peeps”. Note bill shape and overall structure. Temminck’s has longer tail and more crouched posture; Red-necked has slightly shorter bill and legs and more attenuated wings. Found in fresh and brackish wetland habitats. Occurs locally in flocks; elsewhere singles travel with flocks of other waders.
Chubb's Cisticola
Cisticola chubbi
Large, plain montane cisticola. The most outstanding aspects of the plumage are a reddish cap and two bands across the tip of the tail, one pale and one black. Found in open montane habitats with thick herbaceous undergrowth, including forest edge, grassland, and heath. Almost always in pairs or small groups. The distinctive song is given in chorus: a frantic up-and-down series of scratchy notes. As with other cisticolas, habitat and vocalizations are important to identification. Fairly similar to Singing Cisticola, but lacks a rufous panel in the wings.
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