Spillmann's tapaculo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spillmann's tapaculo |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Rhinocryptidae |
| Genus: | Scytalopus |
| Species: |
S. spillmanni
|
| Binomial name | |
| Scytalopus spillmanni Stresemann, 1937
|
|
 |
|
| Script error: The function "autoWithCaption" does not exist. | |
Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".
The Spillmann's tapaculo (Scytalopus spillmanni) is a small bird that lives in the Andes mountains. You can find it in Colombia and Ecuador. It belongs to a bird family called Formicariidae.
Contents
About This Bird
How We Know It's a Special Bird
For a while, people thought the Spillmann's tapaculo was just a type of brown-rumped tapaculo. But scientists listened closely to their songs. They found that the Spillmann's tapaculo sings very differently! Because of its unique voice, it was given its own species name.
This bird is also part of a "superspecies" with another bird called the Chusquea tapaculo. This means they are very closely related. Some Spillmann's tapaculos in eastern Colombia might even be a slightly different group, but more study is needed.
What It Looks Like
The Spillmann's tapaculo is about 12 cm (4.7 in) long. That's about the length of a small pencil!
Male birds usually weigh between 21 to 30 g (0.74 to 1.06 oz). Females are a bit lighter, weighing 20 to 29.5 g (0.71 to 1.04 oz).
Males are dark gray on top, with a dark brown patch near their tail. Their belly is lighter gray. Their sides and under their tail are a warm, reddish-brown color.
Some female birds look just like the males. But most females have more brown on their backs and an orange color on their lower belly. Young birds are brown on top and darker underneath. They also have stripes on their body.
Where It Lives and What It Likes
You can find the Spillmann's tapaculo in all three mountain ranges of the Andes in Colombia. Its home stretches south into Ecuador. In the west, it lives as far as Cotopaxi Province. In the east, it reaches Morona-Santiago Province.
This bird loves to live in the thick, wet forests high up in the mountains. These are called montane forests. It especially likes places where Chusquea bamboo grows.
It usually lives at heights from 1,900 to 3,200 m (6,200 to 10,500 ft) above sea level. Sometimes, you might find it even higher, up to 3,500 m (11,500 ft). In some parts of western Napo Province, Ecuador, it can live as high as 3,700 m (12,100 ft)!
Bird Behavior
Feeding Habits
The Spillmann's tapaculo looks for its food on the ground or very close to it. It mostly eats small insects.
Reproduction
Scientists don't know a lot about how or when Spillmann's tapaculos have their babies. But they think these birds might lay eggs and raise young throughout the whole year.
Vocalization
This bird has a special song! It's a long trill that lasts about 10 to 20 seconds. The song gets louder as it goes on, and sometimes the sound gets higher too. You can listen to an example of its song here: [1].
Both male and female birds also make different calls. You can hear some of their calls here: [2], [3], and [4].
Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) checks on how many of each animal species are left. They have said that the Spillmann's tapaculo is a species of "Least Concern." This means there are many of them, and they live across a very large area. So, for now, they are not in danger.
 | Dorothy Vaughan |
 | Charles Henry Turner |
 | Hildrus Poindexter |
 | Henry Cecil McBay |
