Chucao Tapaculo Scelorchilus rubecula Scientific name definitions

We dedicate this account to Mary Willson, an ornithologist and conservationist whose contributions greatly improved our understanding of the Chucao Tapaculo and inspired generations of new ornithologists.

When Charles Darwin visited the Valdivian rainforest, he immediately noticed an "odd little red-breasted bird" in the forest, which we now know to be the Chucao Tapaculo. This charismatic tapaculo is a emblematic inhabitant of the temperate forests of southern Chile and Argentina. It has a rufous throat and chest, a white belly barred with black, gray flanks, and a dark back. Its call is preternaturally loud for its size, described as “the crow of a cock;...[which] it utters at intervals while threading its way through the labyrinths of the forest undergrowth” (1 Lane, A. A. (1897). Field notes on the birds of Chili. Ibis (7)3:8–51. Close ). Although much remains to be learned about its breeding biology, it reproduces in the Austral spring, selecting cavities in trees, logs, or earthen banks as nesting sites. This species seems to be more omnivorous and opportunistic than other tapaculos, consuming luma (Luma apiculata) berries, as well as insects, seeds, and other fruits.