Friday 17 May
Dusky tapaculo (Scytalopus fuscus)
LEASTCONCERN
Dusky tapaculo fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
Dusky tapaculo description
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Rhinocryptidae |
| Genus | Scytalopus (1) |
With its dark plumage and secretive behaviour, the dusky tapaculo is an inconspicuous bird (3). Nevertheless, it can be readily identified by its rapid, trilling call which the famous naturalist Charles Darwin described as “loud and strange” (4). The plumage is mostly dark grey, becoming darker on the crown and paler on the underparts. The lower back and rump are tinged with brown, and the flanks may occasionally be marked with black barring. In keeping with the dark plumage, the bill is blackish, while, in contrast, the feet and legs are pink (2). The wings are short and rounded, and the tail is long (5) and held at an upward angle (4).
- Size
- Length: 11 cm (2)
More »
Top
Related species
Dusky tapaculo biology
Like most tapaculos this species feeds on insects and other invertebrates (5) (6). Its relatively short, rounded wings permit only brief, weak flights, and so it spends much of the day foraging on the ground (5).
Nesting takes place between October and November (7), at which time the dusky tapaculo excavates a tunnel over half a metre long through the dense undergrowth at the side of a stream. At the end of the tunnel, a globe shaped nest is constructed from root fibres and moss, and lined with horse hair. The nest is accessed by an opening in the side and a clutch of two to three eggs is deposited within (2).
TopDusky tapaculo range
The dusky tapaculo is endemic to central Chile, occurring from southern Atacama, south to Bío Bío. It is found from sea level up to elevations of at least 800 metres (2).
More »
Top
Species with a similar range
Dusky tapaculo habitat
The dusky tapaculo is most commonly found in dense woodland and shrubland undergrowth (3), usually at the bottom of a ravine or valley (2) (3).
More »
Top
Species found in a similar habitat
Dusky tapaculo status
Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1).
Dusky tapaculo threats
Although not currently considered to be globally threatened (1), much of the dusky tapaculo’s habitat has been destroyed, leaving the remaining areas fragmented (2). As deforestation continues, this species faces an uncertain future (2).
TopDusky tapaculo conservation
The dusky tapaculo receives a degree of protection due to its presence in La Campana Peñuelas Biosphere Reserve. Nevertheless, in light of the wide scale habitat destruction occurring elsewhere within its range, ongoing monitoring should be undertaken to ensure that any significant decline in this species’ population is quickly detected (2).
|
View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. |
Find out more
To learn more about conservation initiatives in Chile visit:
- The Nature Conservancy:
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/southamerica/chile
For more information on this and other bird species please see:
- BirdLife International:
http://www.birdlife.org
Authentication
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact: arkive@wildscreen.org.ukTopGlossary
- Endemic
- A species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
- Invertebrates
- Animals with no backbone.
References
- IUCN Red List (May, 2009)
http://www.iucnredlist.org - del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. and Sargatal, J. (2003) Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 8: Broadbills to Tapaculos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
- Ridgely, R.S. and Tudor, G. (1994) The Birds of South America, Volume 11: The Suboscine Passerines. The University of Texas Press, Austin.
- Gould, J. and Darwin, C.R. (1839) Birds Part 3 No. 4 of The zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle. Smith Elder and Co, London. Available at:
http://darwin-online.org.uk - Burnie, D. (2001) Animal. Dorling Kindersley, London.
- Reid, S., Cornelius, C., Barbosa, O., Meynard, C., Silva-García, C. and Marquet, P.A. (2002) Conservation of temperate forest birds in Chile: implications from the study of an isolated forest relict. Biodiversity and Conservation, 11: 1975 - 1990.
- Aves De Chile (May, 2009)
http://www.avesdechile.cl/458.htm
More »Related species
Sign up to our newsletter
Get the latest wild news direct to your inbox.
Get involved
ARKive relies on its media donors to donate photos and videos. Can you help? There are plenty of other ways you can get involved too!
Wednesday 15 May
Guest Blog: Join Our SOS! Campaign to Help Polar Bears with Polar Bears International
Monday 13 May
X
Close
Close
Image credit
X
Close
Close
Link to this photo
Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.
Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.
Read more about
X
Close
Close
MyARKive
MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.
X
Close
Close
Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials
Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.
Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:
- view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
- download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
- teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.
End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.
Additional use of flagged material
Green flagged material 
Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.
Creative commons material
Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.
Any other use
Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.
Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.