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Ayacucho Antpitta | Grallaria ayacuchensis
Ayacuchomierpitta | Tororoí de Ayacucho | Tovacuçu-de-ayacucho
The Ayacucho Antpitta was described as a new species in 2020 in the split of Rufous Antpitta. It is named after the Ayacucho region in southern Peru, where almost all records come from. It is a small, rufous ground bird of high montane forest on the east slope of the Andes.
Voice
As in the other species of the rufula group, the song differs mainly in pace, number and pitch of the notes. It gives short series of clear whistled notes and single call notes; a recording of the song is the main aid to identification.
No recording with a suitable Creative Commons licence is available for this species yet.
Identification
14–15 cm, small, round and almost tailless, on long dark legs, with a dark bill. The upperparts are rufous-brown, the underparts slightly paler and more ochraceous, palest on the centre of the belly. A narrow pale ring around the eye. The sexes are alike. On appearance alone it can hardly be separated from related species of the rufula group.
Confusion species
Junin Antpitta Grallaria obscura lives north of the Mantaro and is separated mainly by song and range. Stripe-headed Antpitta Grallaria andicolus is larger, with a streaked head and underparts, and lives in more open scrub and Polylepis. Rufous-breasted Antpitta Grallaricula leymebambae is smaller, with a pale crescent in front of the eye and a pale belly.
Habitat
Dense undergrowth and bamboo in humid high montane forest and cloud forest, as far as known roughly between 2800 and 3600 m. It searches the ground for invertebrates. Almost nothing is known about breeding.
Where the bird is most at home, classified by the vegetation units of the Andes and the west coast.
Range and movements
Only in Peru, on the east slope of the Andes in Ayacucho, on the western side of the Apurímac valley; a few records from adjacent Huancavelica. Absent from Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and the Galápagos. Does not occur outside the guide area.
- Resident
- dark = core range, pale = thinly spread
How and when to look
Listen at dawn along the road from Tambo to San Francisco in Ayacucho, in the high montane forest above the Apurímac. The bird sings from dense cover and sometimes walks briefly onto the road or a trail.
Conservation status
Not evaluated as a separate species; Rufous Antpitta in the broad sense is listed as Least Concern. The range is small and the montane forest in this area is locally cleared for agriculture.
Scientific name
Grallaria ayacuchensis | Hosner, Robbins, Isler & Chesser, 2020
Hosner, Robbins, Isler & Chesser described the species in 2020 and placed it straight away in the genus where it still stands. The genus Grallaria was introduced in 1816 by Vieillot. The genus name comes from New Latin grallarius, 'stilt-walker', referring to the long legs. The species name ayacuchensis refers to the Ayacucho region of Peru, not necessarily the type locality. The specimen the first description was based on came from Chupón, Ayacucho, Peru.