The Paramillo tapaculo (''Scytalopus canus'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the family Rhinocryptidae.

Taxonomy

It has traditionally included the more widespread '' S. opacus'' as a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

, but under the common name Paramo tapaculo (a name now used exclusively for ''S. opacus''). The two have different voices, leading to them being

split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

into separate species in 2010.

Distribution and habitat

The Paramillo tapaculo is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to humid highland scrub in the Cordillera Occidental in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. At present it is only known from Páramo de Paramillo and

Páramo de Frontino Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

(also known as Paramo del Sol). It may occur elsewhere in the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia. It is restricted to a narrow swath of

treeline The tree line is the edge of a habitat at which trees are capable of growing and beyond which they are not. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually low ...

vegetation (scrub, stunted trees and ''

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, up to above sea level. It is distributed from Venezuela to Patagonia. In Peru, plants in the ...

'' woodland) situated between

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

and

Páramo Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

grasslands that is often just hundreds of meters wide.

Description

The Paramillo tapaculo resembles other ''

Scytalopus ''Scytalopus'' is a genus of small suboscine passerine birds belonging to the tapaculo family (biology), family Rhinocryptidae. They are found in South America, South and Central America from Tierra del Fuego to Costa Rica, but are absent from th ...

'' tapaculos, being overall dark grey, but lacking the brown lower flanks of the Paramo tapaculo.

Status and conservation

Given the estimated extent of occurrence and observed decline in the extent and quality of habitat, the Paramillo tapaculo has an IUCN status of near threatened. While locally common, the estimated area of suitable habitat within the known range of the Paramillo tapaculo is 3 km² in total. Only 0.1 km² is effectively protected by the

Fundación ProAves Fundación ProAves is a nonprofit environmental organization in Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. Th ...

Colibri del Sol Bird Reserve Hummingbird of the Sun, known in Spanish as Colibri del Sol Bird Reserve, is a 731 ha nature reserve in Colombia. It lies at the base of the Páramo del Sol volcanic massif west of the city of Medellín in the Department of Antioquia. It was e ...

(which also harbours the highly threatened dusky starfrontlet and Fenwick's antpitta). Páramo de Paramillo is a

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

, but very poorly protected.

References

* Krabbe, N., & C. D. Cadena (2010). ''A taxonomic revision of the Paramo Tapaculo Scytalopus canus Chapman (Aves: Rhinocryptidae), with description of a new subspecies from Ecuador and Peru.'' Zootaxa 2354: 56–66. * Fundación ProAves (2010).
ProAves expedition solves Tapaculo mystery.
' Accessed 16 February 2010. Paramillo tapaculo Birds of the Colombian Andes Endemic birds of Colombia Páramo fauna Paramillo tapaculo {{Rhinocryptidae-stub