Red-and-white Antpitta Grallaria erythroleuca Scientific name definitions

Endemic to a small area of south-central Peru, in the Vilcabamba and Vilcanota mountains, the Red-and-white Antpitta is, as its name suggests, principally rufous and white, becoming rather browner over the back. Indeed, the English name of this Peruvian endemic aptly mirrors its scientific name, taken from the Greek word eruthroleukos, meaning red-and-white. Although the Red-and-white Antpitta can be locally fairly common, it prefers dense understories and thickets and is very difficult to observe. Not surprisingly, therefore, like other antpittas, the life history of this species is poorly understood, with nothing known concerning breeding. The population of the Red-and-white Antpitta found in the northern Vilcabamba Mountains is seemingly meritorious of taxonomic recognition, given its apparent vocal distinctiveness (the song possesses three, rather than four, notes) and its yellow, rather than white, posterior underparts.