White-winged Tapaculo

Like other Scytalopus tapaculos, white-winged tapaculos are small and drab birds. They are mostly gray in color, with brownish, barred upperparts and tails; their most distinctive feature is the small patch of white on the wing, which is unique among tapaculos in their genus. The average adult length is 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in). Males have a mass of 18.0–20.8 g (0.63–0.73 oz), while females are smaller and weigh 16.5–18.0 g (0.58–0.63 oz). The wings are 54–61 mm (2.1–2.4 in) long, bills are 5.2–6.9 mm (0.20–0.27 in) long, and the tarsi are 22.5–25.8 mm (0.89–1.02 in) long. Tails are 36.8–40.8 mm (1.45–1.61 in) long in males and 35.8–41.1 mm (1.41–1.62 in) long in females. In males, the crown (top of the head) and mantle (upper back) are dark gray, making an indistinct scaled pattern and darkening away from the head. The region around the eyes is blackish. The lower back, rump, and uppertail coverts are dark brown, the last of which has two or three oblique blackish stripes near the end. The tail is dark brown with indistinct dark bars, while the distal halves of the central rectrices have black edges. The underparts are dark gray, slightly lighter than the upperside. The flanks and undertail coverts are dark yellowish brown with uniform dark bars around 1.4 mm (0.055 in) thick. …

The white-winged tapaculo is known only from north-central Peru, where it has been recorded from five localities in three regions of the Andes: Cordillera Colán in Amazonas, Cerro Patricia in San Martín, and in Huánuco, in Bosque Unchog and between Zapatagocha and Huaylaspampa. It is likely also present in the remote and poorly-explored region north of Río Huallaga along the eastern slope of the Andes. It inhabits wet shrub forest and montane forest, but might prefer shrub-line vegetation interspersed with open tussock grassland in areas where it occurs alongside Tschudi's tapaculo. It has been recorded at elevations of 2,775 to 3,500 m (9,100 to 11,000 ft), but is commonest between 2,900 to 3,100 m (9,500 to 10,200 ft). It is presumed to be non-migratory.

Most aspects of the white-winged tapaculo's ecology are unknown, but are thought to be similar to other Scytalopus tapaculos. Like other tapaculos, it is highly secretive and mouse-like in its behavior. It is known to feed on insects. The white-winged tapaculo has not yet been evaluated and assigned a conservation status by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, but the authors of the study describing it suggested that it be classified as being of least concern. It is a restricted-range species and only occurs in mountain ranges within the North-east Peruvian cordilleras Endemic Bird Area, which is relatively unthreatened. It is known to occur in the protected areas of Alto Mayo Protection Forest and Cordillera de Colán National Sanctuary, where it is common in suitable habitat. Further south in Huánuco, where it occurs alongside the neblina tapaculo, the species is thought to be more uncommon or localized.

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