Tapaculo

Tapaculo

There are approximately 25 to 30 species of tapaculo. When Charles Darwin saw this bird he thought they were rather shameless, excited birds, running about the undergrowth with tails arched over their backs in an exaggerated pose. He found them very entertaining and called them tapaculo, for "cover your posterior". The tapaculo have short wings, long, strong legs and a long or short cocked tail. This bird can be found in dense forest foliage from Costa Rica to Patagonia. [BM] {FW}