Caracas Tapaculo

Fairly common within its habitat and one of the signature voices of the mountains around Caracas; range-restricted but readily encountered by voice. Like all Scytalopus, a skulker - hearing it is easy, seeing it takes work.

Small dark tapaculo, 11.5 cm, ~24 g. Dark gray upperparts, paler gray throat and breast, contrasting tawny/rufous rump, and tawny flanks and crissum with dusky barring. Mouse-like, short cocked tail. Best identified by voice and range; plumage is typical of the genus.

Undergrowth of humid forest - primary and secondary woodland and edges, ~1,200-2,400 m. Notably tends to SHUN Chusquea bamboo, unlike some congeners.

Skulks low in dense understory, hopping mouse-like on or near the ground, rarely flying. Sings persistently from cover. Responds to playback but often stays hidden; pishing and patient low scanning help.

Nasal, noisy song - a series of notes rising then falling in volume and pitch; versions rendered as a 4-note 'wu-E-e-wu' and a faster 6-note 'wu-wU-e-e-wu-wu'. Scold/most common call a descending mechanical rattle / wheezy chatter. The split from Brown-rumped Tapaculo was based on these vocal differences. Recordings on Xeno-canto and Macaulay Library under 'Scytalopus caracae' (eBird code cartap1).

Teach clients the voice first - this is a 'name that tapaculo by ear' bird and a great teaching example of a vocally diagnosed split. Pick a singing bird on a steep banked trail, play sparingly, and watch low gaps in the undergrowth at ground level for the brief mouse-like crossing.