Magellanic Tapaculo (Scytalopus magellanicus)
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Magellanic Tapaculo

Scytalopus magellanicus (Gmelin, JF, 1789)

10–12 cmLength14 gWeight

The Magellanic tapaculo (Scytalopus magellanicus) is a small passerine bird in the tapaculo family Rhinocryptidae that is found in southern South America.

Busiest months: October and December · Most records: Chile, Argentina

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Magellanic Tapaculo has been recorded at 20 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Centro de Humedales Río CrucesChile320 records
  2. Embalse El Yeso – Vegas superioresChile256 records
  3. Camino a La Parva – Vegas y PastizalesChile201 records
More places
  1. Huitag, Lago CalafquénChile198 records
  2. Cabo BlancoChile102 records
  3. PN Tierra del Fuego ÁreaArgentina100 records
  4. QuillaipeChile92 records
  5. FarellonesChile89 records
  6. Llanquihue – Humedal Las RanasChile88 records
  7. MN Islotes de PuñihuilChile85 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ChileArgentina

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Magellanic tapaculo (Scytalopus magellanicus) is a small passerine bird in the tapaculo family Rhinocryptidae that is found in southern South America.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Magellanic Tapaculo?

The Magellanic Tapaculo is about 10–12 cm long and weighs around 14 g.

Where does the Magellanic Tapaculo live?

Its breeding range: South America: central, southern Chile and western Argentina. It is most often recorded in Chile and Argentina.

When is the best time to see the Magellanic Tapaculo?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October and December (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Magellanic Tapaculo endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Magellanic Tapaculo as Least Concern.

What does the Magellanic Tapaculo eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Magellanic Tapaculo in?

It belongs to the family Tapaculos (Rhinocryptidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
10–12 cm
Weight
14 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
48 mm
Tail
34 mm
Bill
13 mm
Tarsus
19 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

South America: central, southern Chile and western Argentina

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Tapaculos Rhinocryptidae
Genus
Scytalopus

Other birds in the genus Scytalopus

Marsh TapaculoMarsh TapaculoScytalopus iraiensisDiamantina TapaculoDiamantina TapaculoScytalopus diamantinensisBrasilia TapaculoBrasilia TapaculoScytalopus novacapitalisRock TapaculoRock TapaculoScytalopus petrophilusPlanalto TapaculoPlanalto TapaculoScytalopus pachecoiBoa Nova TapaculoBoa Nova TapaculoScytalopus gonzagaiMouse-colored TapaculoMouse-colored TapaculoScytalopus speluncaeDusky TapaculoDusky TapaculoScytalopus fuscusAncash TapaculoAncash TapaculoScytalopus affinisWhite-winged TapaculoWhite-winged TapaculoScytalopus krabbeiLoja TapaculoLoja TapaculoScytalopus androstictusParamo TapaculoParamo TapaculoScytalopus opacus
Magellanic Tapaculo

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Josh van der Meulen. ↗

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