Alternative name: Northern White-crowned Tapaculo
- Scytalopus atratus
Identification
12 cm / 4 ½ inches
Blackish, white patch on head
Male:
• 25 – 33 grams
• Mainly blackish
• Red shaded brown rump
• Black and shades of gray underneath
• May have contrasting pale gray patch on throat.
• Rear flanks and vent brown with red tint and black bars
• Often has noticeable light feather tips on belly
• Dark to black bill
• Dark brown iris
Female:
• 25 +/- grams
• Paler than male
• Frequently brownish upward on body
• Crown patch not as large or bright
• Flanks more rufous
Juvenile:
• Rusty-colored
• Heavily barred and scaled all over
• Pale forecrown which is central
Distribution
South America, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru
Taxonomy
This is a polytypic species[1] consisting of 3 subspecies:
- S. a. nigricans: The Andes of Western Venezuela (Táchira, Mérida and Sierra de Perijá)
- S. a. confusus: Central Andes and Eastern slope of Western Andes of Colombia
- S. a. atratus: Eastern slope of the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru (South to Cusco)
White-crowned Tapaculo has been considered conspecific with Bolivian Tapaculo in the past.
Habitat
Found at 850-1999 m/2800-6600 feet elevation in the undergrowth of humid forests and the outer edges of forests. Noticeably co-existing with S. micropterus in the northern part of their range, where they tend to be found more in broadleaf and primary growth.
Behaviour
Likely is sedentary, forages at, or near, the ground for insects.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Krabbe, N. and T. S. Schulenberg (2020). White-crowned Tapaculo (Scytalopus atratus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whctap1.01
- Lepage D. (2021) [Avibase - https://avibase.ca/7CD6AF48]. Retrieved 9 February 2021
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) White-crowned Tapaculo. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-crowned_Tapaculo
