Small tapaculo (10.5–11 cm), compact and short-tailed. Long, well-defined white eyebrow extending above and behind the eye, accompanied by a dark gray facial mask that contrasts with the white throat. Upperparts brown, including the crown. Chest and belly dark gray, and flanks and undertail coverts olive-brown with fine barring. Bill blackish and legs brownish. Sexes similar. Very similar to Zimmer’s Tapaculo (S. zimmeri), but distinguished by its longer eyebrow and especially its bisyllabic song (“ti-CHRRR”), different from the long series of Zimmer’s Tapaculo. Both species are allopatric, with the White-browed Tapaculo occupying more southern and eastern areas in NW Argentina.
Geographical distribution: Endemic to northwestern Argentina. Found from southern Jujuy southward through Salta, Tucumán, Catamarca, and La Rioja, between 1,500 and 3,350 m a.s.l.
Subspecies in Argentina: ● superciliaris: Salta, Tucumán, and northern Catamarca. ● santabarbarae: Sierra de Santa Bárbara (Jujuy) and Cresta del Gallo (Salta); darker. ● sambatensis: Sierra de Ambato and Sierra de Velasco (Catamarca–La Rioja); paler, with a white central chest.
Habitat: Rocky ravines and humid mountain slopes in high-altitude grasslands, and montane forests of alder (Alnus acuminata) and queñoa (Polylepis spp.) in the Yungas.
Diet: Mainly small arthropods searched for among roots, rocks, and mosses, always on or very near the ground. Usually solitary or in pairs.
Behavior: Highly terrestrial and elusive; rarely flies. Runs among roots, rocks, and low vegetation, hiding quickly. Very difficult to see and often detected only by its song.
Voice: Distinctive bisyllabic song: “ti-CHRRR,” with the last note descending and vibratory. Repeated for minutes at a steady pace. Different from Zimmer’s Tapaculo song.
Nesting: Builds a cup-shaped nest at the end of a 0.3–0.5 m tunnel in embankments, earthen walls, or beneath roots. Lays 2 eggs.
Conservation status: Species not categorized as threatened. Endemic to Argentina, with a somewhat restricted range but locally common.
Authors of this compilation: Diego Carus and Maria Belén Dri – 06/12/2025