Bahian mouse-colored tapaculo

The Bahian mouse-colored tapaculo or Boa Nova tapaculo (Scytalopus gonzagai) is a species of passerine bird native to Bahia, Brazil.[1]

Bahian mouse-colored tapaculo
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Rhinocryptidae
Genus: Scytalopus
Species:
S. gonzagai
Binomial name
Scytalopus gonzagai
Maurício, Belmonte-Lopes, Pacheco, Silveira, Whitney & Bornschein, 2014

Etymology

The species was named after Luiz Antonio Pedreira Gonzaga, a Brazilian ornithologist who discovered two bird species in Bahia in the 1990s.[1] Locals call it the "Macuquinho-preto-baiano".[2]

Discovery

The species was first observed in the early 1990s, when it was misidentified as part of the Scytalopus speluncae species, or the mouse-coloured tapaculos. A neighboring yet geographically isolated population was found in 1999. In 2014, researchers from the Universidade Federal de Pelotas recognized S. gonzagai as a unique species.[3]

Description

Covered in grey plumage and with yellow to brown claws, the species measures 12 centimetres (4.7 in) long and weighs 15 grams (0.53 oz).[1]

Range and habitat

The species' range is limited to five patches of forest[3] in mountainous parts of the Atlantic Forest in southern Bahia, Brazil, having been found in the municipalities of Arataca, Boa Nova, and Iguaí. This is an area covering about 5,885 hectares. S. gonzagai is usually found under dense vegetation or in branches no higher than 2 metres (6.6 ft) off the ground.[1]

Behavior

Males are territorial, being found either on their own or as part of a pair with a female. Females are typically only found paired with a male. The species has been observed to have three different kinds of call - a "kreew" sound, which probably serves as a sort of contact call, an alarm call, and the song. Only females sing. Distribution is usually about 0.49 individuals per hectare.[1]

Conservation status

The Bahian mouse-colored tapaculo is estimated to consist of no more than 2,883 individuals,[1] and is threatened by logging and deforestation,[3] resulting in the scientists who described it urging that it be classified as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List.[1]

References
  1. Natali Anderson (22 September 2014). "Bahian Mouse-Colored Tapaculo: New Bird Species Discovered in Brazil". Sci-News.com. doi:10.1642/AUK-14-16.1. S2CID 85700287. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  2. Alana Gandra (28 September 2014). "New Bird Found in Brazil Goes Straight to the Endangered Species List". Brazzil Magazine. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  3. John R., Platt (29 September 2014). "Deforestation Threatens Newly Identified Bird in Brazil". Scientific American. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
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