The Sierras Centrales are a small group of mountain ranges located c.400 km east of the Andean chain in the provinces of Córdoba and San Luis of central Argentina, and are among a number of ranges, collectively named the Sierras Pampeanas, which are isolated from each other and from the Andes by dry lowlands. The Sierras Centrales are the easternmost of the Sierras Pampeanas and include the contiguous Sierra Grande, Pampa de Achala and Sierra de Comechingones, and, lying c.75 km west of them, the Sierra de San Luis. Most of the land is under 2,000 m but Cerro Champaqui in the Sierra de Comechingones rises to 2,880 m. There are plain-like areas, such as the Pampa de Achala, lying within the mountains. The landscape of this EBA is characterized by bunchgrass with scattered rocks, pockets of Polylepis australis woodland and numerous streams.

The two endemic species are both found in the grassy and rocky areas with patches of Polylepis australis woodland, usually favouring sites near water. Cinclodes olrogi is at least in part an altitudinal migrant, being found above 1,500 m when breeding, but down to 1,000 m in winter. In winter C. comechingones also moves down from its breeding area (above 1,600 m) to 1,000 m, and is then found outside the Sierras Centrales in the lowlands of eastern Tucumán, northern Córdoba, Santiago del Estero and Formosa (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990, M. Nores in litt. 1996).

This EBA is rich in endemic subspecies, at least 12 having been described (J. C. Chebez in litt. 1992; see also Nores and Yzurieta 1983). Several authors consider both of the endemic Cinclodes (treated here as full species) to be well marked subspecies: comechingonus would thus be considered a race of Bar-winged Cinclodes C. fuscus and olrogi a race of Grey-flanked Cinclodes C. oustaleti (Olrog 1979) or possibly of C. fuscus (Nores 1986). However, Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993) follow Vuilleumier and Mayr (1987) who tentatively treat olrogi as an allospecies of oustaleti but do acknowledge that a thorough study of Cinclodes is needed in the Sierras Pampeanas and adjacent Andes.

The area is not greatly threatened and has not been subjected to much human disturbance (Nores 1995). The main problem is overgrazing but apparently this has not affected the endemic taxa up to now, and both are common within the EBA. There is a project to create the Quebrada del Condorito National Park in Sierra Grande (M. Nores in litt. 1996).

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Endemic Bird Area factsheet: Sierras Centrales of Argentina. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/eba/factsheet/60 on 22/11/2024.