Bahia Tapaculo Eleoscytalopus psychopompus Scientific name definitions

Until very recently known solely from three specimens, collected in the 1940s and 1980s, the Bahia Tapaculo is endemic to the east Brazilian state of the same name, where it seems to be very shy and is confined to wet lowland forest in the central coastal region. Its preferred microhabitat appears to be areas with dense agglomerates of vines and shrubs, covered by trunks and branches of fallen trees. Despite having been found at several localities within this region, as a result of dedicated surveys for the species, the Bahia Tapaculo is considered to be Critically Endangered, the result of its obvious rarity at most known sites, some of which are protected, and the catastrophic loss of lowland forest throughout its known range. Genetic data have recently suggested that this species and the White-breasted Tapaculo (Eleoscytalopus indigoticus) should be removed from the genus Scytalopus, and these two species are clearly closely related based on plumage and vocals.

11 cm; one male 17·5 g, one female 18 g. Adult has small whitish spot on lores; upperparts are dark blue-grey, with lower back and rump reddish-brown; white below, side of body dark blue-grey, flanks and vent uniformly chestnut-rufous, thighs slaty blue-grey; iris dark brown; upper mandible blackish, lower mandible pale grey to yellow; tarsus yellowish-brown. Differs from very similar E. indigoticus in having unbarred flanks and vent, plain blue (not brown and barred) thighs, and on average longer bill and wing. Juvenile plumage undescribed.

E Brazil in coastal Bahia (Valença, Taperoá, Igrapiúna, Maraú, Ilhéus, Una) (1 BirdLife International (2016). IUCN Red List for birds. URL: http://www.birdlife.org (download Nov 2016). Close ).

Rank thickets with a dense cover of terrestrial bromeliads and low vine tangles in understorey of mature lowland forest, always adjacent to small streams (2 Whittaker, A. and Fortuna, J.R. (2012). Endemic Brazilian tapaculos, with a brief résumé of their current taxonomy. Neotropical Birding. 11: 62–66. Close ); below 50 m.

Probably sedentary.

Nothing known.

Song a trilled repetition 2–4 seconds long of an approx. 1 kHz (fundamental) note, 20-25 notes per second, gradually increasing in volume over the initial 1–2 seconds. Sounds quite similar to E. indigoticus.

Both members of pair collected near a nest in Oct had active gonads.

ENDANGERED. Restricted-range species: present in Atlantic Forest Lowlands EBA. Described from three specimens: male collected in Jul 1944 at Ilhéus, and pair obtained in Oct 1983 at Valença, Bahia. No longer present at these localities, but surviving populations have been found at the Michelin Ecological Reserve (30 km²), a private property of the Plantações Michelin da Bahia, Igrapiúna municipality, near Ituberá, Bahia, and Una Biological Reserve (IUCN Cat. Ia; 187 km²), Una municipality. Thorough surveys near Ituberá have identified four territories and additional fieldwork has recorded the species in a further four municipalities: Ilhéus, Maraú, Taperoá and Valença BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Eleoscytalopus psychopompus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/04/2015. . Known range 7900 km² BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Eleoscytalopus psychopompus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/04/2015. . The bird is extremely shy and retiring, which undoubtedly makes it difficult to detect during surveys. Destruction of coastal Atlantic forest in Bahia has been extensive, and the last small remnants of seemingly suitable habitat within the species’ limited range are disappearing at an alarming rate. Considered Endangered at the national level in Brazil (3 MMA (2014). Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção. Portaria No 444, de 17 de dezembro de 2014. Diário Oficial da União - Seção 1. Nº 245, quinta-feira, 18 de dezembro de 2014. Close ).