The Junín antpitta (''Grallaria obscura'') is a species of bird in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Grallariidae Grallariidae is a family of smallish passerine birds of subtropical and tropical Central and South America known as antpittas. They are between 10 and 20 cm (4–8 in) in length, and are related to the antbirds, Thamnophilidae, and gna ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the Peruvian department, Junín. It is a member of the rufous antpitta

species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

and was formally elevated from

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in 2020.

Taxonomy

The Junín antpitta was described as a subspecies in 1896, but a 2020 study found that differences in genetics, vocalizations and

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

warranted its elevation to species. The Junín antpitta is named after

Junín, Peru Junín is a city in Central Peru, capital of the Junín Province in the Department of Junín. It is located on the southern shore of Lake Junín, at an elevation of 4,107 m (13,474 ft). It was founded as Town of Kings in 1539 and eleva ...

, the department to which the species is confined.

Distribution and habitat

The Junín antpitta is endemic to the eastern Peruvian Andes in the department of Junín. Their range is bounded in the north by the Perené and

Paucartambo Paucartambo may refer to: * Paucartambo Province, Cusco region * Paucartambo District, Paucartambo Paucartambo (from Quechua: Pawqar Tampu, meaning "colored '' tambo''") is one of six districts of the Paucartambo Province in Peru. Geography On ...

rivers, in the west by the

Ene river The Ene River ( es, Río Ene; que, Iniy mayu) is a Peruvian river on the eastern slopes of the South American Andes. Geography Headwaters The Ene is formed at at the confluence of the Mantaro River and the Apurímac River, circa 400 m abov ...

, and in the south by the Mantaro and Pampas rivers. It is found at elevations of 3,000–3,600 m. It inhabits humid

montane forests Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

and prefers the

understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abov ...

and

forest floor The forest floor, also called detritus, duff and the O horizon, is one of the most distinctive features of a forest ecosystem. It mainly consists of shed vegetative parts, such as leaves, branches, bark, and stems, existing in various stage ...

. They are separated from the closely related O'Neill's antpitta by the Perené and Paucartambo rivers and from the Urubamba antpitta by the

Apurímac river The Apurímac River ( que, Apurimaq mayu; es, Río Apurímac, ; from Quechua ''apu'' 'divinity' and ''rimaq'' 'oracle, talker') rises from glacial meltwater of the ridge of the Mismi, a mountain in the Arequipa Province in the south-western m ...

References

Birds of Peru Grallaria Endemic fauna of Peru Birds described in 1896 {{Grallariidae-stub