Zimmer's tapaculo (''Scytalopus zimmeri'') is a species of

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...

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 lightweig ...

in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Bolivia and

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 ...

Taxonomy and systematics

Zimmer's tapaculo has at times been considered a subspecies of Magellanic tapaculo (''Scytalopus magellanicus''). It and white-browed tapaculo (''S. superciliaris'') form a superspecies.Krabbe, N. and T. S. Schulenberg (2020). Zimmer's Tapaculo (''Scytalopus zimmeri''), 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.zimtap1.01 retrieved May 1, 2021Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 19 January 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved January 19, 2021 Its name commemorates American ornithologist

John Todd Zimmer John Todd Zimmer (February 28, 1889 in Bridgeport, Ohio – January 6, 1957 in White Plains, New York) was a leading American ornithologist. A graduate of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he took an early interest in both entomology and ornithology ...

Description

Zimmer's tapaculo is long. Males weigh and one female weighed . The adult's most striking feature is its white supercilium, throat, and upper breast. The rest of the head, the back, and the wings are gray with a brown wash on the back. The lower breast and belly are also gray. Its flanks and vent are olive-brown and have dusky bars. The juvenile's supercilium is faint buff, its upper parts olive-brown with dusky bars, its breast and upper belly gray, and the flanks and lower belly are buff with dusky bars.

Distribution and habitat

Zimmer's tapaculo is found in southern Bolivia's Chuquisaca and

Tarija Tarija or San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa is a city in southern Bolivia. Founded in 1574, Tarija is the largest city and capital and municipality within the Tarija Department, with an airport ( Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza Airport, (TJA)) off ...

departments and Argentina's

Jujuy San Salvador de Jujuy (), commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital and largest city of Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina. Also, it is the seat of the Doctor Manuel Belgrano Department. It lies near ...

and

Salta Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...

provinces. It ranges the

Andean The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...

slopes from elevation. It inhabits several vegetative communities including seasonally humid ''

Alnus Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...

'', ''

Podocarpus ''Podocarpus'' () is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family, the Podocarpaceae. The name comes from Greek πούς (poús, “foot”) + καρπός (karpós, “fruit”). ''Podocarpus'' species ...

'', and ''

Polylepis ''Polylepis'' is a genus comprising 28 recognised shrub and tree species, that are endemic to the mid- and high-elevation regions of the tropical Andes. This group is unique in the rose family in that it is predominantly wind-pollinated. They are ...

'' woodlands where it frequents ravines and other shady areas, and also open wet rocky slopes with bunch grass and shrubs.

Behavior

Feeding

Zimmer's tapaculo forages on and near the ground, often staying hidden among roots, rocks, and ferns. Its diet is not well known but it appears to favor seeds.

Breeding

Both members of a Zimmer's tapaculo pair were observed tending nestlings in October. The nest was found in a crevice of an earth and stone bank.

Vocalization

The song of Zimmer's tapaculo is a series three to five burry notes repeated at intervals, often for many minute

Its call is described as one or two "quick" notes repeated at interval

Status

The IUCN has assessed Zimmer's tapaculo as being of Least Concern. Though its range is small and its population number is not known, "Owing to steepness of the terrain and the species’ tolerance of habitat disturbance, however, it is probably not at any real risk."

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1276045 Zimmer's tapaculo Birds of the Southern Andean Yungas Zimmer's tapaculo Zimmer's tapaculo Zimmer's tapaculo Taxonomy articles created by Polbot