The crested gallito (''Rhinocrypta lanceolata'') is a
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 ...
of
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
in the family
Rhinocryptidae. It is found in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
,
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
, and
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
.
Taxonomy and systematics
The crested gallito is the only species in its genus. Two subspecies are recognized, the nominate ''Rhinocrypta lanceolata lanceolata'' and ''R. l. saturata'', which was described in 1939.
[
]
Description
The crested gallito is long. The male weighs and the female . It is an unusual tapaculo, having long crown feathers that it often erects as a crest and even bends forward. It also has a long tail that it cocks upward. The nominate subspecies' head is cinnamon with white streaks, its upper parts including wings and tail olive gray. The throat and chest are pale gray, the sides of the breast chestnut, and the lower belly olive gray. ''R. l. saturata'' is similar but all of the colors are darker.[Krabbe, N. and T. S. Schulenberg (2020). Crested Gallito (''Rhinocrypta lanceolata''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.cregal1.01 retrieved April 24, 2021]
Distribution and habitat
The nominate subspecies of crested gallito ranges from northern Argentina through the central part of the country south to northern Río Negro Province
Río Negro (, ''Black River'') is a province of Argentina, located in northern Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean.
Its capit ...
and southern Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...
. ''R. l. saturata'' is found in southeastern Bolivia and western Paraguay.[
The crested gallito inhabits Chaco forest from sea level to , though ''R. l. saturata'' is found only in the lower elevations. It frequents thorny brush and undergrowth.][
]
Behavior
Feeding
The crested gallito forages on the ground or through low branches for arthropod
Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...
s.
Breeding
The crested gallito's nest is a ball of grass and other materials lined with hair or wool placed up in a dense bush or small tree. Up to three eggs are laid, usually between September and December. Both sexes incubate. Shiny cowbird
The shiny cowbird (''Molothrus bonariensis'') is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It breeds in most of South America except for dense forests and areas of high altitude such as mountains. Since 1900 the shiny cowbird's range h ...
s (''Molothrus bonariensis'') are known to parasitize the nest.[
]
Vocalization
The crested gallito sings only during the breeding season, with "a loud, resonant, 'chirrup'...at intervals of 2-4 seconds.
The call is "a trilled 'wheer'
[
]
Status
The IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
has assessed the crested gallito as of Least Concern. It is overall uncommon but locally fairly common and occurs in several protected areas in Argentina. The population is not known but is believed to be stable.[
]
References
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q854849
crested gallito
Birds of the Gran Chaco
Birds of Argentina
Birds of Bolivia
Birds of Paraguay
crested gallito
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot