Bay Antpitta

About the Bay Antpitta

The bay antpitta (Grallaria capitalis) is a species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is endemic to Peru. The bay antpitta was described in 1926 as a species. In 1970 at least one author treated it as a subspecies of the white-bellied antpitta (G. hypoleuca) but by the late twentieth century it was restored to species status. It is monotypic.

Grallaria antpittas are a "wonderful group of plump and round antbirds whose feathers are often fluffed up...they have stout bills [and] very short tails". The bay antpitta is 16 to 17 cm (6.3 to 6.7 in) long and weighs 65 to 77 g (2.3 to 2.7 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a dusky brown or dark russet brown crown. They have a rufous or blackish lores. Their back, rump, wings, and tail are rufous chestnut. Their underparts are mostly rufous that is darker on the breast and paler on the belly; the center of their belly is whitish buff. Both sexes have a dark brown iris, a blue-gray bill, and blue-gray legs and feet.

The bay antpitta is found on the east side of the Peruvian Andes in Huánuco, Pasco, and Junín departments. It inhabits the understory... Wikipedia →