• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic note
A new species of tapaculo, Tatamá Tapaculo Scytalopus alvarezlopezi, is accepted after the description (Stiles et al. 2017) that indicates that the voice is highly distinctive, being a protracted series of short trills, entirely unlike other related tapaculos in the region.

Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2019. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 4. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v4_Dec19.zip.
Stiles, F. G., Laverde-R, O., & Cadena, C. D. 2017. A new species of tapaculo (Rhinocryptidae: Scytalopus) from the Western Andes of Colombia. The Auk: Ornithological Advances 134(2): 377-392.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	-

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2021	Near Threatened	B1ab(ii,iii,iv,v)
2019	Near Threatened	B1ab(ii,iii,v); C2a(i)
2016	Not Recognised
2012	Not Recognised
2008	Not Recognised
2004	Not Recognised
2000	Not Recognised
1994	Not Recognised
1988	Not Recognised

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	high
Land-mass type		Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	26,700 km2
Area of Occupancy (breeding/resident)	10,112 km2
Number of locations	6-10	-
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	20000-49999 mature individuals	poor	inferred	2021
Population trend	decreasing	-	suspected	2018-2028
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	1-9%	-	-	-
Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	1-19%	-	-	-
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	1-19%	-	-	-
Generation length	3.1 years	-	-	-
Number of subpopulations	2-100	-	-	-
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation	1-89%	-	-	-

Population justification: The population size of this species has not been quantified. A preliminary population estimate was derived from a congener with similar habitat requirements, the Ecuadorian Tapaculo (Scytalopus robbinsi); this species occurs at a density of c. 27 mature individuals per km² in suitable forest (Hermes et al. 2017). Assuming that the Tatamá Tapaculo occurs at a similar density and further assuming that 25% of forested habitat across its range is occupied (i.e. c.1,350 km²; Global Forest Watch 2021), the population may number c. 36,000 mature individuals. Therefore, it is here placed in the band 20,000-49,999 mature individuals.

Due to its limited dispersal abilities (per Stiles et al. 2017), the species likely forms several disjunct subpopulations.

Trend justification: The population trend of Tatamá Tapaculo has not been quantified. Even though its specific habitat requirements make it vulnerable to habitat loss and degradation as a result of deforestation, forests within its range remain largely continuous, intact and not highly threatened (Stiles et al. 2017). Over the past ten years, 4% of tree cover within the range has been lost (Global Forest Watch 2021). Tatamá Tapaculo is further susceptible to current and future climate change, as it may result in range contractions and habitat loss, potentially causing a population decline in the future (Velázquez-Tibatá et al. 2013; Stiles et al. 2017). Therefore, while the rate of population decline has likely been <10% over the past ten years, it may increase in the future and is here suspected to amount to up to 19% over the next ten years.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Colombia	extant	native	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Forest	Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane	major	resident
Altitude	1350 - 2200 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest]	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		No decline		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Climate change & severe weather	Habitat shifting & alteration	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Future		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Tatamá Tapaculo Scytalopus alvarezlopezi. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/tatama-tapaculo-scytalopus-alvarezlopezi on 03/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 03/12/2024.