Birds of the World
 - Elusive Antpitta
 - Elusive Antpitta
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Elusive Antpitta Grallaria eludens Scientific name definitions

Harold F. Greeney, Guy M. Kirwan, and Andrew J. Spencer
Version: 2.0 — Published June 7, 2024
Revision Notes

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Introduction

"As its name suggests, Elusive Antpitta is about as well studied and as frequently seen as other infamous characters such as ‘Sir Not-appearing-in-this-film’ (Chapman et al. 1975)."[1] – Harold F. Greeney (2: 215)

The Elusive Antpitta is, without a doubt, well, elusive. It is a local, and very secretive inhabitant of terra firme and transitional Amazonian forests south of the Amazon River. To date, it is known only from southeastern Peru and adjacent, westernmost Brazil. The species is very closely related to the Ochre-striped Antpitta (Grallaria dignissima) of northeastern Peru, southeastern Colombia, and eastern Ecuador. Its plumage is characterized by heavy black streaking on the underparts, like that of the Ochre-striped Antpitta, but lacking the rich tawny rufous throat and breast. Like the Ochre-striped Antpitta, the Elusive Antpitta is thought to favor dense thickets near streams and ravines. Its song is very similar to that of the Ochre-striped Antpitta, a hollow two-note "hoo-oooooo," but instead of being downslurred at the end, the second note of the song of the Elusive Antpitta rises slightly, and is somewhat more "raspy." There is nothing is known concerning the natural history of this aptly-named species, as it is known from just a handful of isolated locations, and is very infrequently detected (much less seen!).

Distribution of the Elusive Antpitta - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Elusive Antpitta

Recommended Citation

Greeney, H. F., G. M. Kirwan, and A. J. Spencer (2024). Elusive Antpitta (Grallaria eludens), version 2.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg and S. M. Billerman, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.eluant1.02
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