Ash-colored tapaculo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ash-colored tapaculo |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Myornis
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| Species: |
senilis
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The ash-colored tapaculo (Myornis senilis) is a small bird. It belongs to the Rhinocryptidae family. You can find this bird in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Contents
About This Bird's Family
The ash-colored tapaculo is special. It is the only bird in its group, called Myornis. It does not have different types, or subspecies. Sometimes, people thought it belonged to a bigger group of birds called Scytalopus.
What Does It Look Like?
The ash-colored tapaculo is about 14 cm (5.5 in) long. That's about the length of a pen. Male birds usually weigh 20 to 23.5 g (0.71 to 0.83 oz). Females are a bit lighter, weighing 18.1 to 24.5 g (0.64 to 0.86 oz).
Adult ash-colored tapaculos have gray feathers on their upper bodies. Their undersides are a lighter gray. Some birds have a bit of cinnamon color on their sides. Young birds look different. Their upper bodies are reddish brown. Their undersides are a yellowish-brown color. Birds living in different parts of the Andes mountains might look slightly different. Some might be darker or have different measurements.
Where Does It Live?
The ash-colored tapaculo lives in the Andes mountains. You can find it in all three mountain ranges in Colombia. It also lives south through Ecuador and into Peru. In Peru, it lives in the Huánuco and Pasco areas.
This bird likes to live high up in the mountains. It prefers wet montane forests. Most often, it lives between 2,300 and 3,700 m (7,500 and 12,100 ft) high. Sometimes, it can be found as low as 2,000 m (6,600 ft). It can also live as high as 3,950 m (12,960 ft). It especially likes thick areas of Chusquea bamboo and Neurolepis cane. These plants grow in the forest or at the edges of the forest.
How Does It Behave?
What Does It Eat?
Scientists don't know much about what the ash-colored tapaculo eats. It is known to look for food in bamboo and cane plants. It forages from near the ground up to 4 m (13 ft) high. It does not often look for food on the ground.
How Does It Raise Its Young?
We know very little about how the ash-colored tapaculo breeds. Young birds that have just learned to fly have been seen. They were noted in June in Ecuador. In Peru, fledglings were seen in August.
What Does It Sound Like?
The ash-colored tapaculo has a special song. It starts with a "tick" sound. This sound is repeated unevenly for up to a minute. After that, it makes a trill sound that lasts three to four seconds. People have described this trill as "hysterical laughter" [1]. The bird often repeats this trill. When it senses danger, its alarm call is a dry trill sound.
Is It Safe?
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) checks on animals. They have said the ash-colored tapaculo is of "Least Concern." This means it is not in danger of disappearing. It lives in a large area. The number of these birds seems to be steady, even though we don't know the exact count. It also lives in special protected areas in Ecuador.
