Fenwick's Antpitta
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The Urrao antpitta (''Grallaria urraoensis''), also known as Fenwick's antpitta (''Grallaria fenwickorum''), is a highly
threatened A threatened species is any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which is vulnerable to extinction in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensatio ...
species of bird found in the
understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the Canopy (biology), forest ca ...
of
cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, Montane forest, montane, Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist forest characteri ...
in the
Andean The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...
highlands of Colombia. The first published description used the scientific name ''Grallaria fenwickorum'' (and English name Fenwick's antpitta); shortly afterward, a second description using the name ''Grallaria urraoensis'' was published. The editors of the latter recognized that the name likely was a
junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...
,Cadena and Stiles (2010) but others have questioned the validity of the first description,Sandoval & Claramunt 2011Claramunt et al. 2014 and various authorities, including the International Ornithological Congress, have adopted ''G. urraoensis''. Antioquia antpitta has been suggested as an English-language name compromise.


Discovery

The new species was discovered during banding sessions in September 2007Carantón and Certuche (2010). and February and March 2008 when Diego Carantón, then working as a researcher for a Colombian NGO, Fundación ProAves de Colombia, caught an unfamiliar ''
Grallaria ''Grallaria'' is a large genus of Neotropical birds in the antpitta family Grallariidae. The genus was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816 with the variegated antpitta (''Grallaria varia'') as the type species. T ...
'' antpitta. It was also sound-recorded in late 2008. The population was thought to be a new species and was added to the Colombian checklist as "''Grallaria'' sp." in 2009. Since 2008 many ornithologists and birders have seen, photographed, recorded and studied the new bird at the reserve, where a family party is seen daily at a feeding station alongside
chestnut-naped antpitta The chestnut-naped antpitta (''Grallaria nuchalis'') is a species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Taxonomy and systematics The chestnut-naped antpitta has three subspecies, the nominate ''G.  ...
s. Luis Felipe Barrera and Avery Bartels, the authors of the description under the name ''Grallaria fenwickorum'', based it on holotypic material from a living bird, but also included information based on two
specimen Specimen may refer to: Science and technology * Sample (material), a limited quantity of something which is intended to be similar to and represent a larger amount * Biological specimen or biospecimen, an organic specimen held by a biorepository f ...
s that Carantón had collected earlier.Barrera, Bartels and Fundación ProAves (2010) Their holotype comprises 14 feathers, taken from the wing, tail and body of a living bird which was banded, photographed, sound-recorded and measured in the field before being released, on 11 January 2010. In the description it was stated that the holotype material had been deposited, as tissue collection No. 699, at the
José Celestino Mutis José Celestino Bruno Mutis y Bosio (6 April 1732 – 11 September 1808) was a Spanish people, Spanish priest, botanist and mathematician. He was a significant figure in the Spanish American Enlightenment, whom Alexander von Humboldt met with ...
Natural History Museum of the Faculty of Sciences of the
University of Pamplona The University of Pamplona (), is a public, departmental, coeducational research university based primarily in the city of Pamplona, Norte de Santander, Colombia. The university also has two satellite campuses in the department, in the cities of ...
. This was denied by people associated with the museum, which has neither a tissue collection nor anything deposited under No. 699.Lizcano (2011) An associate of the museum did receive an envelope with the feathers, but he was not informed about its great significance and it was not moved to the collection until after the description of the new species. The museum does not have an
ornithological Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...
curator or the means to preserve such an important sample. Consequently, they have forwarded the material to the relevant authorities to allow them to take charge in its depositing and preservation. Besides this holotype, two specimens were previously collected by Carantón. He has stated that the second was not deliberately collected, but died in the
mist net Mist nets are nets used to capture wild birds and bats. They are used by hunters and poachers to catch and kill animals, but also by ornithologists and chiropterologists for banding and other research projects. Mist nets are typically made of ...
where it was caught, which is not an exceptional occurrence. According to Fundación ProAves these specimens were collected without their knowledge and without the necessary permit from the local government, and consequently neither was used as a holotype in their description, but one could possibly be designated as a
neotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes ...
if the legal status was resolved. In 2011, the collector and ProAves (the collector was employed by them when the specimens were collected) were fined for breach of reporting requirements.Donegan (2011) ProAves maintain that the collection itself was irregular, but there was no such finding by the local government. One of the specimens was used as a holotype in the second description of the species, by Diego Carantón-Ayala and Katherine Certuche-Cubillos, where they coined the name ''Grallaria urraoensis''.


Taxonomy and etymology

Within its
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
, the bird is a typical member of the plain-coloured group due to its relatively small wings, fairly uniform upperparts and underparts without strong markings, relatively high tail / wing ratio, a convolute inner edge of the tarsus, and 12 
rectrices Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the Bird wing, wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those ...
. It is evidently most closely related to the
brown-banded antpitta The brown-banded antpitta (''Grallaria milleri'') is a vulnerable species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is endemic to Colombia. Taxonomy and systematics The brown-banded antpitta has two subspecies, the nominate ''G. m. milleri'' ( Ch ...
, ''G. milleri'', because of similarities in voice and measurements and its generally plain plumage. Barrera and Bartels and other ornithologists have suggested that it is most closely related to the probably extinct subspecies ''G. m. gilesi'', but Carantón and Certuche say that it may resemble ''G. m. milleri'' more closely than it does ''gilesi''. They suggest that the present species, the brown-banded antpitta, and the Cundinamarca antpitta form a
clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...
. The genus name ''Grallaria'' is derived from the
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
word ''grallae'', meaning "stilts", referring to the bird's relatively long legs. The specific name ''fenwickorum'' recognises George Fenwick, President of the
American Bird Conservancy American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is a non-profit organization, non-profit membership organization with the mission of conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC is the second BirdLife International partner in the United ...
(ABC), and his family, who assisted Fundación ProAves (ABC's partner organization in Colombia) in the purchase of land, now the Colibrí del Sol Bird Reserve. Based on present knowledge, the antpitta is restricted to the reserve and its immediate surroundings. ProAves's suggested English name also honours Fenwick, while the Spanish common name ''Tororoi de Urrao'' is given after the
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
of
Urrao Urrao is a town and municipality of Colombia, located in the subregion Southwest Antioquia , southwest of the department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. Limited by the north with the municipalities of Frontino (Colombia) , Frontino and Abri ...
, where the bird is found. ''Tororoi'' is a general Spanish name used for most antpitta species.Krabbe and Schulenberg (2003) The creation of a type specimen without killing an individual follows the policy of the ABC.


Description

The bird most closely resembles the
brown-banded antpitta The brown-banded antpitta (''Grallaria milleri'') is a vulnerable species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is endemic to Colombia. Taxonomy and systematics The brown-banded antpitta has two subspecies, the nominate ''G. m. milleri'' ( Ch ...
, which is endemic to the
Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands. Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges: * Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America ** ...
of Colombia, but it has a slate-grey breast and lacks the brown flanks and breast band of the other species. Measurements of the living bird from which Barrera and Bartels' holotype material was derived, as well as of the two collected specimens, show weights ranging from , flat wing chords of , tail lengths of , and tarsus lengths of . The sexes are similar in appearance, as with most other antpittas. A captured fledgling was covered with dark grey down with brown edges above and was buff below. Its feet were dark pink; its bill was black above and orange below, with conspicuous red-orange edges. A captured juvenile looked scaled, with patches of chestnut-edged black down intermixed with grey feathers on much of its body, and a buff belly. Its bill resembled that of the fledgling. The song comprises three notes of increasing length and
frequency Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. Frequency is an important parameter used in science and engineering to specify the rate of oscillatory and vibratory phenomena, such as mechanical vibrations, audio ...
. The birds sing more early in the year. The call is a single note, higher-pitched than the song, which rises, falls, and rises again. The birds often give it in response to loud noises and playbacks of its vocalisations. They call more later in the year. Both song and call resemble those of the brown-banded antpitta, but Fenwick's antpitta's notes are shorter and lower-pitched, and those of its song are separated by wider intervals.


Distribution and habitat

The known distribution of the bird is limited to the
Urrao Urrao is a town and municipality of Colombia, located in the subregion Southwest Antioquia , southwest of the department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. Limited by the north with the municipalities of Frontino (Colombia) , Frontino and Abri ...
municipality in and near the Colibrí del Sol Bird Reserve, a reserve on the south-eastern slope of the Páramo del Sol
massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...
, at the northern end of the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia, and some west of
Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...
, Colombia's second largest city. The massif has over of relatively intact
páramo Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...
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, up to above sea level. It is distributed from Venezuela to Patagonia. In Peru, plants in the ...
''
woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...
, containing more such habitat than all the other páramos in the region combined. There the bird is restricted to upper montane
cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, Montane forest, montane, Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist forest characteri ...
dominated by Colombian oak, at an altitude of above sea level, where most territories contain ''
Chusquea ''Chusquea'' is a genus of evergreen bamboos in the grass family. Most of them are native to mountain habitats in Latin America, from Mexico to southern Chile and Argentina. They are sometimes referred to as South American mountain bamboos. Unl ...
''
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
thickets. It is suspected that its range may be larger than currently known, but so far surveys have failed to confirm this.BirdLife International and Taylor (2011)


Behaviour

The species exhibits behaviour typical of other members of its genus; it is a shy, terrestrial forager for
insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
s (especially
beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
s) in the
leaf-litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall, or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that has fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent ...
within the forest understorey. It ascends to higher perches (up to 1.5 m above the ground) to sing, and is most active and vocal in the hours following dawn and prior to dusk. It usually occurs in pairs, less often singly, and one group of three has been observed.


Reproduction

The males captured in February and March had enlarged testes, typical of breeding birds. The fledgling and an adult with old
brood patch A brood patch, also known as an incubation patch in older literature, is a patch of featherless skin on the underside of birds during the nesting season. Feathers act as inherent insulators and prevent efficient incubation, to which brood patches ...
es were observed in June. These data and song activity from February to April (a dry season) suggest that the breeding season begins early in the year, possibly as early as January, and extends for several months. As in other ''Grallaria'' species, the fledgling was less developed than those of most
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 generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...
s, and both parents fed it
earthworm An earthworm is a soil-dwelling terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. The term is the common name for the largest members of the class (or subclass, depending on the author) Oligochaeta. In classical systems, they we ...
s.


Conservation status

The bird has a very restricted known range, limited to the Colibrí del Sol reserve and its immediate vicinity, while previous surveys in similar habitat in the region have failed to record the species. Moreover, habitat used by the bird has been extensively cleared for
pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...
, and the area is rich in minerals. The known population of 24 territories has an estimated area of , giving a conservative global population estimate of 57–156 territories. Both articles on the new species propose that the
IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...
classify Fenwick's antpitta as
critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...
, and this will be followed in the forthcoming 2011 edition of the
BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...
list,BirdLife International (2011) which is the authority used for birds by the IUCN. Although it is protected in the Colibrí del Sol reserve, it needs further protective measures. The single bird or pair that was known from outside the reserve has not been recorded since mid-2010 and appears to have disappeared.


Controversy over the discovery

The first description was published in ''Conservación Colombiana'', the journal of Fundación ProAves. It was accompanied by an editorial giving the reasons that Diego Carantón, who discovered the bird, was not among the authors of the paper. The editorial accused Carantón of taking specimens illegally as well as violating his contract by omitting mention of his discovery from his monthly reports to Fundación ProAves and by trying to deprive the foundation of its intellectual property in the discovery. Specifically, it said that the Fundación had learned of the discovery through third parties in October 2008. Attempts to agree on a publication authored by Carantón and members of Fundación ProAves failed, and then Carantón and others tried to publish a description of the species in the journal '' The Condor'' without notifying the Fundación. ''The Condor'' rejected the manuscript pending resolution of the dispute. Staff members of Fundación ProAves went to the Colibrí del Sol reserve and in January 2010 caught a bird whose feathers they collected and used as the basis of their publication without Carantón (May 2010).Comité Editorial, Conservación Colombiana (2010). In June 2010 (though dated May 2010), a second description of the new species by Carantón and another biologist in Colombia, Katherine Certuche, appeared in ''Ornitología Colombiana'', the journal of the Asociación Colombiana de la Ornitología, edited by the ornithologists Carlos Daniel Cadena and F. Gary Stiles. It was accompanied by an editorial describing Stiles's and Cadena's involvement with Carantón and Certuche's paper starting shortly after Fundación ProAves found out about the work. In this account, Cadena attempted to mediate but withdrew because of conflicts with Fundación ProAves.Specifically, the editorial says he learned that the president of Fundación ProAves had written an insulting letter about him and that Fundación ProAves intended to honour the president of the ABC; Cadena and some other ornithologists considered that the ABC's article on collection contained misrepresentations. The editorial characterizes ProAves's actions as unethical and divisive. The editorial adds a reason that Carantón's collection of specimens may have been lawful, and notes that in any case, none of the legal accusations against him had been decided by a court. Further, the attempt at joint publication by Carantón, Certuche, and Fundación ProAves scientists failed because Fundación ProAves insisted that Carantón could not be the corresponding author and that Fundación ProAves had to have full control over the final text. After ''The Condor'' rejected Carantón and Certuche's manuscript, they submitted it to ''Ornitología Colombiana'', which decided to publish it despite the previous description of the species. Cadena and Stiles noted that ProAves had not given Carantón the possibility to answer their accusations before they were published and said the description by Barrera and Bartels could be a violation of Carantón's
moral rights Moral rights are rights of creators of copyrighted works generally recognized in civil law jurisdictions and, to a lesser extent, in some common law jurisdictions. The moral rights include the right of attribution, the right to have a work p ...
, which are protected under the Colombian law. They also stated that the description by Barrera and Bartels was in violation of the
ICZN The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its formal author, t ...
Code of Ethics, which Barrera and Bartels denied and in any case the Code of Ethics is part of a section that zoologists are ''urged'' to follow (unlike most other sections of the ICZN code, which zoologists ''have'' to follow).International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (1999) Subsequently, the editor-in-chief of ''The Condor'' voiced his strong discontent with the actions of ProAves, suggested the description by Barrera and Bartels conflicted with the very spirit of the ICZN Code, and stated that he felt ProAves had "maneuvered to trick the Condor out of considering your arantón'smanuscript so that ProAves could publish its own type description of the antpitta."Patten (2011) In 2011, the local government fined Carantón and ProAves (Carantón was employed by them when the specimens were collected) for breach of reporting requirements. ProAves maintain that the collection itself was irregular, but there was no such finding by the local government. Another controversy pertains to determining the valid
scientific name In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...
for the new species. The ''G. fenwickorum'' description was published before the ''G. urraoensis'' description (18 May 2010 vs 24 June 2010), thus everything else equal, the
Principle of Priority Priority is a principle in Taxonomy (biology), biological taxonomy by which a valid scientific name is established based on the oldest available name. It is a decisive rule in Botanical nomenclature, botanical and zoological nomenclature to recogn ...
dictates that ''G. fenwickorum'' would be the valid name, and ''G. urraoensis'' would be considered a
junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...
. However, the description of ''G. fenwickorum'' was unconventional in several respects. Instead of clearly designating a single specimen as the
Type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wikt:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to ancho ...
, in a complex statement they designated both a sample of feathers and the photographed bird as the type specimen. The rest of the description is also ambiguous regarding the nature of the type specimen. This ambiguity, by itself, may be considered problematic since the ICZN Code requires type specimens to be designated unambiguously in modern descriptions (ICZN Art. 16.4). The ambiguity also affects determining whether the type specimen was preserved (if it is the sample of feathers) or not (if it is the bird that was released). To complicate matters, there is evidence that the sample of feathers do not belong to the bird depicted in the article. Because of these problems and other issues, it has been argued that Barrera and Bartels failed to comply with minimum requirements stipulated in the ICZN and thus the name ''fenwickorum'' is not available (''i.e.'' not valid). Based on these arguments, the
American Ornithologists' Union The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its ...
's South American Checklist Committee has accepted the species as ''G. urraoensis''. (Members include Cadena, who abstained from the vote on the name, and Stiles, who voted for ''urraoensis''.) However, in 2018, the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature rejected a petition to suppress the ''fenwickorum'' name, and ruled, in ICZN Opinion 2414, that "The available specific name ''Grallaria fenwickorum'' Barrera & Bartels in Barrera, Bartels & Fundación ProAves de Colombia, 2010 remains valid for the species of antpitta involved. The issue is left open for subsequent workers to make new proposals to the Commission."International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature (2018) Setting aside a ruling given by the Commission without its consent is explicitly forbidden by the Code (ICZN Art. 80.9). As Opinion 2414 clearly indicates that ''Grallaria fenwickorum'' is available and valid, this is how it is to be treated, and the continued use of ''Grallaria urraoensis'' as the name of the species actually violates the Code. Finally, the two descriptions also proposed different English names for the bird. Time will tell whether Fundación ProAves' English name, Fenwick's antpitta, or Carantón and Certuche's English name, Urrao antpitta, will prove more popular, but the only completely uninvolved authority that has taken a stance on this matter has avoided taking sides by coining a new name, Antioquia antpitta. Its known range is entirely within the
Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part o ...
. The two articles that described the species proposed the same Spanish name, ''tororoi de Urrao''.


References


Notes


Sources

* * * * * Followed by an English translation, "The Price of Priority". * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


Photographs of ''Grallaria fenwickorum''
*


Sound recordings by the describing teams

* as ''Grallaria fenwickorum'': *
Song
* and as ''Grallaris urraoensis'': *
Song
*
Call
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1268896 Urrao antpitta Birds of the Colombian Andes Endemic birds of Colombia Critically endangered animals Critically endangered biota of South America Urrao antpitta Controversial bird taxa Naming controversies