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Chucao Tapaculo

Scelorchilus rubecula
(Kittlitz, FH, 1830)
Chucao

Family: Rhinocryptidae
Order: Passeriformes
Class: Aves
Phylum / Division: Chordata
Kingdom: Animalia

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Conservation status according to BirdLife International: Least Concern

Synonyms: Pteroptochos rubecula.

Subspecies:


Description: Black beak and brown iris, with a general olive-brown coloration, featuring a striking reddish bib covering the neck and throat, a thin eyebrow of the same color passing behind the eyes and extending to a small portion above the beak. It has a fine white barring on the chest and a barely marked periocular of the same color.

Sexual Dimorphism: Same sexes.

Habitat: Inhabits dense vegetation in the humid forests of the south.

Behavior: Curious, active, it is common to see it running through the fallen leaves and branches of the forest at high speed, making it hard to spot, but if one stays still and silent, it is very likely to approach to investigate, where it becomes easier to observe. When it perches on a low branch, it does so with its tail erect.

Song: A powerful scream, heard from a great distance, which it repeats at intervals possibly to communicate with others. Whenever one screams, another can be heard responding from afar (Kovacs, 2005). The name “Chucao” is onomatopoeic, derived from the territorial cry it emits (Costa et al., 2012).

Nesting: Nests in holes that it digs itself in white soil ravines, where it lays a maximum of three white eggs.

Feeding: Feeds on small invertebrates that it searches for by scratching the soil and leaf litter of the forest with its feet.

Authors of this description: Diego Oscar

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Last published photographs

Foto
Photography ID: 387116
  Adult

Parque Nacional Los Alerces
Chubut
Argentina
02/05/2020
Pablo Eguia
Foto
Photography ID: 387115
  Adult

Parque Nacional Los Alerces
Chubut
Argentina
02/05/2020
Pablo Eguia
Foto
Photography ID: 387114
  Adult

Parque Nacional Los Alerces
Chubut
Argentina
02/05/2020
Pablo Eguia
Foto
Photography ID: 384521
  Adult

Parque Nacional Los Alerces
Chubut
Argentina
02/05/2020
Pablo Eguia
Foto
Photography ID: 384520
  Adult

Parque Nacional Los Alerces
Chubut
Argentina
02/05/2020
Pablo Eguia
Foto
Photography ID: 384519
  Adult

Parque Nacional Los Alerces
Chubut
Argentina
02/05/2020
Pablo Eguia
Foto
Photography ID: 383824
  Adult

Parque Nacional Los Alerces
Chubut
Argentina
02/05/2020
Pablo Eguia
Foto
Photography ID: 383808
  Adult

Parque Nacional Lago Puelo
Chubut
Argentina
02/04/2020
Pablo Eguia
Foto
Photography ID: 383797
  Adult

San Carlos de Bariloche
Río Negro
Argentina
02/02/2020
Pablo Eguia
Foto
Photography ID: 252089
  Adult

Parque Nacional Lanín
Neuquén
Argentina
02/08/2018
Pablo Eguia
Foto
Photography ID: 252088
  Adult

Parque Nacional Lanín
Neuquén
Argentina
02/08/2018
Pablo Eguia
Foto
Photography ID: 252087
  Adult

Parque Nacional Lanín
Neuquén
Argentina
02/08/2018
Pablo Eguia



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 Reports


 Detail of places sorted by number of records








Page 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
119812611/02/2020ChileRegión de Los LagosChiloéPablo Eguia
119788705/02/2020ArgentinaChubutParque Nacional Los AlercesPablo Eguia
119724404/02/2020ArgentinaChubutParque Nacional Lago PueloPablo Eguia
119357202/02/2020ArgentinaRío NegroSan Carlos de BarilochePablo Eguia
70889114/02/2018ArgentinaNeuquénArea Lago Paimún, Parque Nacional LanínPablo Eguia
70884913/02/2018ArgentinaNeuquénCamino base sur, Parque Nacional LanínPablo Eguia
70882912/02/2018ArgentinaNeuquénLago Huechulafquen, Parque Nacional LanínPablo Eguia
70876608/02/2018ArgentinaNeuquénHua Hum, Parque Nacional LanínPablo Eguia
70871407/02/2018ArgentinaNeuquénLaguna Rosales, San Martin de los AndesPablo Eguia
70866306/02/2018ArgentinaNeuquénPaso Tromen, Parque Nacional LanínPablo Eguia
Page 1

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Bibliography related


Artículo Costa M., R. Moller Jensen Y Otros. 2011. Proyecto Freebirds Guía de las Aves. <http://www.freebirds.com.ar>.

Artículo Kovacs, C. J., O. Kovacs, Z. Kovacs, C. M. Kovacs. 2005. Manual ilustrado de las aves de la Patagonia: Antártida Argentina e Islas del Atlántico Sur. Carlos Kovacs; Ors Kovacs; Zsolt Kovacs – 1ed – El Bolsón, 368 págs.



Citation recommended:

EcoRegistros. 2026. Chucao Tapaculo (Scelorchilus rubecula) - Species sheet. Acceded from https://www.ecoregistros.org on 29/03/2026.