| Paramo tapaculo | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Rhinocryptidae |
| Genus: | Scytalopus |
| Species: | S. opacus |
| Binomial name | |
| Scytalopus opacus J. T. Zimmer, 1941 | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Scytalopus canus opacus | |
The Paramo tapaculo (Scytalopus opacus) is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in the Andes of Ecuador and southern Colombia. [2]
The Paramo tapaculo was originally described as a subspecies of Magellanic tapaculo (Scytalopus magellanicus) and then as a subspecies of paramillo tapaculo (S. canus). Krabbe and Cadena (2010) showed that they have very different voices. Based on that data, The South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithologists' Union (now the American Ornithological Society, AOS) elevated it to species rank and the International Ornithological Congress (IOC) and Clements taxonomy followed suit. [3] [4] [5] [2] [6]
The Paramo tapaculo is monophyletic. The former subspecies S. o. androstictus was elevated by the SACC to species status as the Loja tapaculo in July 2020 and by the IOC in January 2021. [7] [4] [2]
The Paramo tapaculo resembles other Scytalopus tapaculos. It is approximately 10.5 cm (4.1 in) long. Males weigh 13.9 to 17.9 g (0.49 to 0.63 oz) and females 13.4 to 16 g (0.47 to 0.56 oz). Males are very dark gray above and medium to dark gray on most of the underside. The flanks and vent area are tawny to dark brown with darker barring. The female is brown above and pale to medium gray on most of the underside. Like the male it has brownish flanks and vent area. The juveniles are highly variable, but generally have shades of brown and barring above and shades of gray and buff below with or without barring. [5]
The Paramo tapaculo ranges the central Andes from southern Colombia to south-central Ecuador. It generally inhabits shrub and scrublands at and above treeline but can also be found in Polylepis woodland and high elevation humid forest. Its elevation range is typically between 3,050 and 4,000 m (10,010 and 13,120 ft). It is believed to be sedentary. [5]
The Paramo tapaculo forages on and near the ground for small arthropods and occasionally for berries. [5]
Little is known about the Paramo tapaculo's breeding phenology. Females with brood patches and juveniles have been collected in March, May, and November. [5]
The IUCN has rated the Paramo tapaculo as being of Least Concern. Its range spans approximately 188,000 km2 (72,600 mi2). Its population has not been determined but is believed to be stable. The species is fairly common and it occurs in several protected areas in both Colombia and Ecuador. [1] [5]
Niels Kaare Krabbe is a Danish ornithologist and bird conservationist for many years based at the Vertebrate Department of the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen and tutored by Jon Fjeldså. His research interests include various aspects of ornithology, especially bioacoustics, conservation, and systematics and altitudinal replacements of Scytalopus tapaculos. He has worked extensively in the Andes, especially Ecuador, and wrote the passerine section of Birds of the High Andes (1990) and the accounts of most Andean species in Threatened Birds of the Americas (1992). He has helped build up a large tissue collection in the Zoological Museum and has authored or coauthored several bioacoustic publications and peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals.
Scytalopus is a genus of small suboscine passerine birds belonging to the tapaculo family Rhinocryptidae. They are found in South and Central America from Tierra del Fuego to Costa Rica, but are absent from the Amazon Basin. They inhabit dense vegetation at or near ground-level and are mainly found in mountainous regions, particularly the Andes. They can be very difficult to see as they run through the undergrowth in a mouse-like fashion.
Tschudi's tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Peru.
The Ancash tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Peru.
The neblina tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to the Andes of northern Peru.
The white-crowned tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The Caracas tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Venezuela.
The dusky tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Chile.
The pale-bellied tapaculo, also known as the matorral tapaculo or rufous-rumped tapaculo, is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.
The blackish tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The Mérida tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Venezuela.
The long-tailed tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in the eastern Andes of Colombia, Ecuador and far northern Peru.
Spillmann's tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Formicariidae. It inhabits the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador.
The Nariño tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.
The Vilcabamba tapaculo is a small passerine bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Peru.
The white-winged tapaculo is a species of bird in the tapaculo family, Rhinocryptidae. It was described in 2020 by the American ornithologist Tom Schulenberg and his colleagues. It is known only from north-central Peru, where it inhabits wet shrub forest and montane forest. White-winged tapaculos are small and drab birds, being mostly gray in color with brownish, barred upperparts and tails, and a distinctive patch of white on the wing. Adults are 10–11 cm (3.9–4.3 in) long; males weigh 18.0–20.8 g (0.63–0.73 oz) and females weigh 16.5–18.0 g (0.58–0.63 oz). Despite their relatively distinctive appearance, their cryptic nature means that they are typically best identified by their vocalizations.
The Utcubamba tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae that the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society split from blackish tapaculo in July 2020. It is endemic to Peru.
The jalca tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Peru.
The Ampay tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Peru.
The Loja tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae that the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) accepted as a new species in July 2020. It had been classified as a subspecies of paramo tapaculo. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
