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Puno Antpitta | Grallaria sinaensis
Punomierpitta | Tororoí de Sina | Tovacuçu-de-puno
The Puno Antpitta was described as a new species in 2020 in the split of Rufous Antpitta. The English and Dutch names refer to the Puno region in southeastern Peru, the scientific and Spanish names to the village of Sina in that region. It is a small, rufous ground bird of Yungas montane forest.
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.
Recording: Jacob Wijpkema — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto
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, becoming paler towards 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
Bolivian Antpitta Grallaria cochabambae replaces it further south in Bolivia and is separated mainly by song and range. Red-and-white Antpitta Grallaria erythroleuca in Cuzco is larger, with white underparts. Stripe-headed Antpitta Grallaria andicolus has a streaked head and underparts and lives in more open scrub. Rufous-breasted Antpitta Grallaricula leymebambae is smaller, with a pale crescent in front of the eye.
Habitat
Dense undergrowth and bamboo in humid Yungas montane forest and cloud forest, as far as known roughly between 2400 and 3400 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
In Peru on the east slope of the Andes in Puno. In Bolivia in northern La Paz; where the boundary with Bolivian Antpitta lies is not yet known precisely. Absent from Colombia, Ecuador 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 in the montane forest above Sandia and San Juan del Oro in Puno for short series of whistled notes from dense undergrowth. The bird usually sings low down and stays in cover.
Conservation status
Not evaluated as a separate species; Rufous Antpitta in the broad sense is listed as Least Concern. The range is small and little studied; the montane forest is locally cleared for agriculture and mining.
Scientific name
Grallaria sinaensis | Robbins, Isler, Chesser & Tobias, 2020
Robbins, Isler, Chesser & Tobias 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 sinaensis refers to Sina in Puno, Peru, not necessarily the type locality. The specimen the first description was based on came from Sina, Puno, Peru.