Ampay Tapaculo
Scytalopus whitneyi
The Ampay Tapaculo (Scytalopus whitneyi) is a legendary tapaculo found only in Peru, weighing about 15 g. The Ampay tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae.
About the Ampay Tapaculo
The Ampay tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Peru.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Like all members of genus Scytalopus, the Ampay tapaculo is a small, plump, dull-colored bird. It is about 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long. Five males weighed about 16 g (0.56 oz) and one female weighed 14.2 g (0.50 oz). The male is generally dusky gray, with a darker face and a lighter crown that presents as a pale eyebrow, and a lighter throat. It has brown to tawny tips on the wing feathers and faint dark yellowish brown bands on the tail. The flanks have ochre-tawny and dusky bars. Voice: The Ampay tapaculo's primary song is "a single repeated note, chip, given at a rate of 1.5–2.2...per second for up to 90 seconds or more". The secondary song is "composed of regularly repeated churrs...lasting for up to 60 seconds". The songs differ slightly between the two populations.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, April, May, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in July. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an Ampay Tapaculo?
- Like all members of genus Scytalopus, the Ampay tapaculo is a small, plump, dull-colored bird. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an Ampay Tapaculo?
- The Ampay Tapaculo is a small sized bird weighing about 15 g.
- Where can you see an Ampay Tapaculo?
- The Ampay Tapaculo is endemic to Peru, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to an Ampay Tapaculo?
- The Ampay Tapaculo is most easily confused with the Jalca Tapaculo, the Diamantina Tapaculo and the Junin Tapaculo.
Learn the Ampay Tapaculo for real
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