The Mérida tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to Venezuela.
Region
Venezuelan Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs along the Cordillera de Mérida in humid montane and cloud forests with dense undergrowth. It prefers thickets of Chusquea bamboo, mossy ravines, and forest edges with tangled vegetation. Birds keep close to the ground, using root masses, fallen logs, and leaf litter for cover. It can also inhabit second-growth and disturbed forest if adequate understory remains.
Altitude Range
1600–3400 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Mérida tapaculo is a secretive ground-dweller of the Venezuelan Andes, most often detected by its persistent song rather than seen. It favors dense understory and bamboo tangles where it darts mouse-like through cover. Like many tapaculos, it has short rounded wings and relies on running and hopping more than sustained flight. Its taxonomy was clarified relatively recently as bioacoustics and subtle plumage traits helped distinguish it from similar Andean species.
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in territorial pairs, moving low to the ground through dense cover. Nests are typically ball-shaped structures of moss and plant fibers placed on or near the ground in concealed sites. Pairs defend small territories and communicate frequently with song and call notes.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a fast, rhythmic series of clear notes or trills delivered from concealed perches, often accelerating slightly. Calls include sharp ticks and soft churrs used for contact and alarm.
