The Tachira antpitta is a Critically Endangered bird species in the family Grallariidae. It is endemic to Venezuela.
Region
Northern Andes (Venezuelan Andes)
Typical Environment
Restricted to the El Tamá massif of southwestern Táchira state, chiefly within and around El Tamá National Park. It occupies humid montane cloud forests with dense understory, including thickets of Chusquea bamboo and mossy gullies. The species keeps to shaded forest floors, often near streams and along steep slopes. Its habitat is highly fragmented by agriculture, pasture, and smallholdings, which isolates remaining subpopulations.
Altitude Range
1450–2150 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This elusive antpitta was long known only from mid-20th century specimens and was rediscovered in the 2010s after decades without confirmed records. It inhabits dense cloud-forest understory where it is far more often heard than seen, giving a plaintive, whistled song. Its extremely small range and habitat loss have made it one of Venezuela’s most threatened birds.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Mostly solitary or in pairs, maintaining territories in dense understory. Nests are thought to be placed low, likely on banks or mossy ledges, with both adults participating in care as in other Grallaria. Displays involve vocal countersinging from concealed perches rather than visual shows.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A clear, mournful, single or double whistled note repeated at measured intervals, carrying far in still forest. Calls are simple but penetrating, often delivered from hidden perches near the ground.
Plumage
Compact, round-bodied antpitta with mostly uniform warm rufous-brown upperparts and paler rufous to buff underparts with faint dusky mottling on the breast. Throat slightly paler; underparts smooth-textured with minimal streaking. Feathers appear soft and plush, aiding its inconspicuous, shadowy look in the understory.
Diet
Primarily ground-dwelling arthropods such as beetles, ants, termites, spiders, and caterpillars. Also takes earthworms and occasionally small vertebrates like tiny frogs or lizards. Prey is gleaned or pounced upon in leaf litter, often using short hops and brief pauses to listen.
Preferred Environment
Feeds on the shaded forest floor and along damp trails, stream edges, and bamboo thickets. It favors dense cover with deep leaf litter and fallen logs where it can remain concealed while foraging.
