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Junin Antpitta | Grallaria obscura
Junínmierpitta | Tororoí de Junín | Tovacuçu-de-junín
Junin Antpitta is one of the species recognised in 2020 when Rufous Antpitta was split; the name obscura had been given to a subspecies as early as 1896. It is found only in the department of Junín in central Peru. It is a small, rufous ground bird of high montane forest, mainly identified by its song.
Voice
The long song is a slow series of buzzy notes on an even pitch, slowing slightly towards the end. The short song is a two-note phrase of about 0.75 to 1.25 seconds: a short, abrupt note followed by a longer buzzy one. It sings mainly at dawn, usually from the ground or a low perch.
Recording: Herman van Oosten — CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 · xeno-canto
Identification
14–15 cm, small, round and almost tailless, on long pale blue-grey legs, with a black bill. The crown, upperparts, wings and tail are dark yellowish rufous-brown, the flight feathers with paler edges. A pale buff ring around the eye. The throat and breast are rufous-brown, the belly centre whitish, the flanks rufous-brown. The sexes are alike.
Confusion species
Panao Antpitta Grallaria oneilli north of the Perené and Oxapampa Antpitta Grallaria centralis, which lives lower, are very similar; they are best separated by voice and range. Bay Antpitta Grallaria capitalis is larger and uniformly dark chestnut. Red-and-white Antpitta Grallaria erythroleuca further south has white underparts.
Habitat
The floor and understorey of humid montane forest, especially where moss and epiphytes are abundant and Chusquea bamboo is common, roughly between 3000 and 3600 m. Like related species it probably searches the ground for invertebrates. Nothing is known about its 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 Junín, bounded by the Perené and Paucartambo rivers to the north and the Mantaro to the south. 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 for the buzzy song in high, bamboo-rich montane forest on the east slope in Junín. The bird sings from dense cover and is seldom in view there for long.
Conservation status
Not evaluated as a separate species; the broadly defined Rufous Antpitta is listed as Least Concern. Its habitat is still largely intact, but grazing, burning and crop cultivation have severely affected the forest locally. It probably occurs in two protected areas.
Scientific name
Grallaria obscura | Berlepsch & Sztolcman, 1896
Berlepsch & Sztolcman described the species in 1896 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 comes from Latin obscurus, 'dark'. The specimen the first description was based on came from Maraynioc, Junín, Peru.