Rock Tapaculo Scytalopus petrophilus
(aka Serra do Mar Tapaculo Scytalopus notorius Mouse-coloured Tapaculo Scytalopus speluncae)

Brazilian name: Tapaculo-preto
Diamantina Tapaculo, Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 2008 - click for larger image Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
November 2008

The taxonomy of this species is quite complicated and is still in a state of flux. A good summary of current thinking is available on Wikipedia .

Diamantina Tapaculo, Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 2008 - click for larger image The Rock Tapaculo is distributed in the Serra do Mar of south-east Brazil. See the distribution map at Birdlife International. It is usually found in the dense undergrowth of Atlantic Rain Forest and is normally associated with bamboo stands. I have been trying to photograph one for years and couldn't believe my luck when this obliging male showed extremely well for just over one minute before popping back into the undergrowth.
Diamantina Tapaculo, Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 2008 - click for larger image The male is uniformly dark grey with some brown barring on the lower flanks and vent. The female is browner.

Diamantina Tapaculo, Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 2008 - click for larger image
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