Caracas tapaculo

The Caracas tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Venezuela.

Taxonomy and systematics

The Caracas tapaculo was previously considered a subspecies of brown-rumped tapaculo but was elevated to species status based on differences in their vocalizations.

Description

The Caracas tapaculo is long and weighs approximately
. The adult has dark gray upperparts, a tawny rump, and a paler gray throat and breast. The flanks and crissum are tawny with dusky barring. The juvenile's plumage has not been described.

Distribution

The Caracas tapaculo is found in the Venezuelan Coastal Range and separately in a small area where Sucre, Anzoátegui, and Monagas States meet. It inhabits the undergrowth of several humid forest types including primary and secondary woodland and their edges. Unlike many other tapaculos, it tends to shun Chusquea bamboo. It ranges in elevation between.

Behavior

The Caracas tapaculo's feeding and breeding phenologies have not been recorded. Its song is a series of notes rising and then falling in both volume and pitch . It scolds with a wheezy chatter .

Status

The IUCN has assessed the Caracas tapaculo as being of Least Concern. Although its population size has not been determined, it is thought to be fairly common. Much of the larger western part of its range is within protected areas but the smaller eastern area is suffering deforestation.