Sierra Nevada antpitta
The Sierra Nevada antpitta (Grallaria spatiator) is a species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia. It is a member of the rufous antpitta species complex and was recently elevated from subspecies to species based on differences in plumage and vocalizations and genetic evidence.[1][2]
| Sierra Nevada antpitta | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Grallariidae |
| Genus: | Grallaria |
| Species: | G. spatiator |
| Binomial name | |
| Grallaria spatiator Bangs, 1898 | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy
The Sierra Nevada antpitta was described as a subspecies of rufous antpitta in 1898, but in 2020 was elevated to species on the basis of its reddish-yellow-brown plumage, its faster vocalizations, and significant mitochondrial genetic differences.[1]
The Sierra Nevada antpitta gets its common name from the mountain range in which it lives, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The specific name spatiator comes from the Latin for "pedestrian".
Distribution and habitat
It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia in the departments of Magdalena, La Guajira and Cesar. It is found at elevations of 2,200–2,900 m.[1] They inhabit humid montane forests and forest edges.[2]
It is separated from the closely related Perijá antpitta by the Cesar depression separating the Santa Maria range from the Serranía del Perijá.[3]
References
- Isler, Morton L.; Chesser, R. Terry; Robbins, Mark B.; Cuervo, Andrés M.; Cadena, Carlos Daniel & Hosner, Peter A. (July 27, 2020). "Taxonomic evaluation of the Grallaria rufula (Rufous Antpitta) complex (Aves: Passeriformes: Grallariidae) distinguishes sixteen species". Zootaxa. 4817 (1): 1–74. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4817.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334.
- Prostak, Sergio (October 13, 2020). "Six New Bird Species Discovered in South America". Sci-News.com. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- Chesser, R. Terry; Isler, Morton L.; Cuervo, Andrés M.; Cadena, C. Daniel; Galen, Spencer C.; Bergner, Laura M.; Fleischer, Robert C.; Bravo, Gustavo A.; Lane, Daniel F. & Hosner, Peter A. (July 24, 2020). "Conservative plumage masks extraordinary phylogenetic diversity in the Grallaria rufula (Rufous Antpitta) complex of the humid Andes". The Auk. 137 (3). doi:10.1093/auk/ukaa009. ISSN 0004-8038.