The Loja tapaculo (''Scytalopus androstictus'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the family Rhinocryptidae that the South American Classification Committee of the

American Ornithological Society The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its ...

(AOS) accepted as a new species in July 2020. It had been classified as a subspecies of paramo tapaculo (''Scytalopus opacus''). It is found in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, J. F. Pacheco, C. Ribas, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, D. F. Stotz, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 28 July 2020. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved October 20, 2020

Taxonomy and systematics

The taxonomy of the Loja tapaculo is complicated. ''Scytalopus canus'' (now the paramillo tapaculo) and ''S. opacus'' (now the paramo tapaculo) were originally thought to be subspecies of either ''S. magellanicus'' (Magellanic tapaculo) or ''S. unicolor'' (unicolor tapaculo). Both were eventually reclassified as species, and what is now the Loja tapaculo was considered a subspecies of paramo tapaculo. A detailed study of these several related taxa found significant vocal,

genetic Genetic may refer to: *Genetics, in biology, the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms **Genetic, used as an adjective, refers to genes ***Genetic disorder, any disorder caused by a genetic mutation, whether inherited or de nov ...

, and morphological differences among them. Based on these data, the South American Classification Committee of the AOS elevated ''S. opacus androstictus'' to species status in July 2020.Niels K Krabbe, Thomas S Schulenberg, Peter A Hosner, Kenneth V Rosenberg, Tristan J Davis, Gary H Rosenberg, Daniel F Lane, Michael J Andersen, Mark B Robbins, Carlos Daniel Cadena, Thomas Valqui, Jessie F Salter, Andrew J Spencer, Fernando Angulo, Jon Fjeldså, Untangling cryptic diversity in the High Andes: Revision of the ''Scytalopus'' 'magellanicus''complex (Rhinocryptidae) in Peru reveals three new species, The Auk, Volume 137, Issue 2, 1 April 2020, ukaa003, https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukaa003 retrieved April 22, 2021 The

International Ornithological Congress International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(IOC) followed suit in January 2021 and the

Clements taxonomy ''The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World'' is a book by Jim Clements which presents a list of the bird species of the world. The most recent printed version is the sixth edition (2007), but has been updated yearly, the last version in 202 ...

in August 2021.Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved 25 August 2021

Description

The Loja tapaculo is approximately long. Males weigh and females . 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. Most males also have white primary

covert Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

s that show as a patch when the wing is folded. 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.del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Paramo Tapaculo (''Scytalopus opacus''), 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.partap2.01 retrieved April 22, 2021

Distribution and habitat

The Loja tapaculo has a very limited range on the east slope of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

Zamora-Chinchipe Province Zamora Chinchipe (), Province of Zamora Chinchipe is a province of the Republic of Ecuador, located at the southeastern end of the Amazon Basin, which shares borders with the Ecuadorian provinces of Azuay and Morona Santiago to the north, Loja ...

of Ecuador and the northern part of Peru's

Department of Cajamarca Cajamarca (; qu, Kashamarka; ay, Qajamarka) is a department and region in Peru. The capital is the city of Cajamarca. It is located in the north part of the country and shares a border with Ecuador. The city has an elevation of above sea le ...

. It generally inhabits shrub and scrublands at and above treeline but can also be found in ''

Polylepis ''Polylepis'' is a genus comprising 28 recognised shrub and tree species, that are endemic to the mid- and high-elevation regions of the tropical Andes. This group is unique in the rose family in that it is predominantly wind-pollinated. They are ...

'' woodland and high elevation humid forest. Its elevation range is typically between . It is believed to be sedentary.

Status

The IUCN has not assessed the Loja tapaculo.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q98065849 Endemic birds of Peru Birds of the Peruvian Andes Loja tapaculo Loja tapaculo