Tawny Antpitta

About the Tawny Antpitta

The tawny antpitta, or western tawny antpitta, (Grallaria quitensis) is a species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The tawny antpitta was long treated as having three subspecies. A 2003 publication suggested that each might be a full species. In 2016 BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) recognized them as separate species, the western, northern, and southern tawny antpittas. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) recognized them in July 2023. The IOC retained the name tawny antpitta for Grallaria quitensis and named the other two the Boyaca antpitta (G. alticola) and the Atuen antpitta (G. atuensis). The Clements taxonomy recognized the new species with those names in October 2023 and HBW adopted the IOC names in December 2023. However, as of July 2024 the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society had not recognized the split, though it did acknowledge the 2003 publication's suggestion.

The tawny antpitta is 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) long and weighs between 58 and 81 g (2.0 and 2.9 oz). The sexes have the same... Wikipedia →