Utcubamba tapaculo

The Utcubamba tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae that the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society split from blackish tapaculo in July 2020. It is endemic to Peru.

Description

The Utcubamba tapaculo is small compared to other tapaculos; it is approximately long. Males weigh and females. The male is entirely black. The female is dark gray above and somewhat lighter gray below with little of no brown on the flanks.

Taxonomy and systematics

The Utcubamba tapaculo was originally described as a subspecies of unicolored tapaculo. Subsequent splits of two other subspecies retained it as a subspecies of blackish tapaculo. As of January 2021, the International Ornithological Congress considers it a distinct species, but the Clements taxonomy retains it as a subspecies of blackish tapaculo.

Distribution

The Utcubamba tapaculo is endemic to the central Andes of Peru. Most of the records are from the drainage of Río Utcubamba. The range extends from there west to Río Marañón, east to Río Huallaga, and south into San Martín. It is found in elevations from.

Status

The IUCN has not assessed the Utcubamba tapaculo.