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

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	-

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2022	Near Threatened	B1ab(ii,iii,v); C2a(i)
2016	Least Concern
2012	Least Concern
2009	Least Concern
2008	Least Concern
2004	Least Concern
2000	Lower Risk/Least Concern
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)	17,200 km2	medium
Area of Occupancy (breeding/resident)	10,000 km2
Number of locations	11-100	-
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	8500-11500 mature individuals	poor	inferred	2021
Population trend	decreasing	-	suspected	2016-2026
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)	1-9%	-	-	-
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	1-9%	-	-	-
Generation length	3.08 years	-	-	-
Number of subpopulations	5-100	-	-	-
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation	1-89%	-	-	-

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as common to fairly common (Stotz et al. 1996).
 
Currently, 60,000-80,000 ha within its range are covered by forest with 75% canopy (Global Forest Watch 2021). Assuming that this species occurs at a similar density than a congener (S. robbinsi in Ecuador: 2 mature individuals in 7 ha of forest; Hermes et al. 2017), and further assuming that half of the forests are occupied, the population may number 8,500-11,500 mature individuals. This number however requires confirmation.

Based on the spatial spread of records (eBird 2021) and accounting for the generally low dispersal abilities of tapaculos (Krabbe and Schulenberg 2003), it is conceivable that the species forms several small subpopulations.

Trend justification: This species is assessed as being decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction (del Hoyo et al. 2003).
Currently, tree cover within the range is lost at a rate of up to 7% over ten years (Global Forest Watch 2021, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein). While the species is forest-restricted, it appears to tolerate some degree of disturbance, as long as a dense understory vegetation is present (Krabbe and Schulenberg 2020). Population declines are therefore tentatively placed in the band 1-9% over ten years.

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

Country/Territory	IBA Name
Ecuador	Bosque Protector Colambo-Yacuri
Ecuador	Cordillera del Cóndor
Peru	Cordillera Vilcabamba
Peru	Cordillera Yanachaga
Peru	Río Mantaro - Cordillera Central

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Forest	Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane	major	resident
Altitude	2000 - 3170 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Small-holder farming	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Agriculture & aquaculture	Livestock farming & ranching - Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression - Increase in fire frequency/intensity	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Unicolored Tapaculo Scytalopus unicolor. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/unicolored-tapaculo-scytalopus-unicolor on 23/11/2024.
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 23/11/2024.