Rhinocryptidae is a family of passerine birds in the parvorder Furnariida. ^[1] Most species in the family are called tapaculos, although some are known as huet-huets, gallitos, bristlefronts, turcas, or bamboowrens. ^[2] Tapaculos are endemic to the Neotropics and inhabit dense undergrowth in a variety of habitats, from lowland tropical rainforest to páramo and puna grassland high in the Andes. Tapaculos are usually extremely secretive, ground-dwelling birds that are best detected by their vocalizations. Several species of tapaculos may even be flightless. ^[1] Tapaculos are generally blackish or grayish with rufous-and-black markings on the tail and sides, and are best identified by their calls. ^[3] Several species of tapaculos are threatened with extinction, with habitat loss being the principal threat to most species. ^[1] Stresemann's bristlefront is considered to be critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with a maximum estimated population of 49 mature individuals, and another seven species are considered to be endangered.

There are currently 65 species of tapaculos recognized by the International Ornithologists' Union, distributed among 12 genera, 7 of which have only one species. The most species-rich genus is Scytalopus, with 49 species. ^[2] Tapaculo diversity is highest in the Andes, where a combination of the poor flying ability of Scytalopus tapaculos and complex topography has led to high levels of population isolation, with more than 30 species having been described from the region. ^{[3] [4]} Despite their high diversity, Scytalopus tapaculos are difficult to differentiate on the basis of appearance and are generally described based on genetic data and differences in vocalizations. ^[3] The number of known tapaculo species has drastically increased as the amount of genetic and vocal data available has increased, but diversity within the genus is likely still underestimated. ^[3]

Conventions

Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the tapaculo's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IOC World Bird List for that species unless otherwise noted. Population estimates are of the number of mature individuals and are taken from the IUCN Red List.

This list follows the taxonomic treatment (designation and order of species) and nomenclature (scientific and common names) of version 13.2 of the IOC World Bird List. ^[2] Where the taxonomy proposed by the IOC World Bird List conflicts with the taxonomy followed by the IUCN ^[a] or the 2023 edition of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, ^[6] the disagreement is noted next to the species's common name (for nomenclatural disagreements) or scientific name (for taxonomic disagreements).

Classification

The International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) recognizes 65 species of tapaculos in 12 genera; ^[2] some other authorities recognise as few as 60 species. ^[5] This list does not include hybrid species, extinct prehistoric species, or putative species not yet accepted by the IOU.

Rhinocryptids

Genus Acropternis – Cabanis & Heine, 1859 – 1 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	IUCN status and estimated population
Ocellated tapaculo	A. orthonyx ( Lafresnaye, 1843) Two subspecies A. o. orthonyx A. o. infuscatus	Northwestern South America	LC  Unknown [8]

Genus Pteroptochos – Kittlitz, 1830 – 3 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	IUCN status and estimated population
Chestnut-throated huet-huet	P. castaneus Philippi & Landbeck, 1864	Central Chile and west-central Argentina	LC  Unknown [9]
Black-throated huet-huet	P. tarnii ( King, P. P., 1831)	Southwestern South America	LC  Unknown [10]
Moustached turca	P. megapodius Kittlitz, 1830 Two subspecies P. m. atacamae P. m. megapodius	Chile	LC  Unknown [11]

Genus Scelorchilus – Kittlitz, 1830 – 2 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	IUCN status and estimated population
White-throated tapaculo	S. albicollis ( Kittlitz, 1830) Two subspecies S. a. atacamae S. a. albicollis	Chile	LC  Unknown [12]
Chucao tapaculo	S. rubecula ( Kittlitz, 1830) Two subspecies S. r. rubecula S. r. mochae	Southwestern South America	LC  Unknown [13]

Genus Rhinocrypta – Gray, G. R., 1841 – 1 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	IUCN status and estimated population
Crested gallito	R. lanceolata ( Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1832) Two subspecies R. l. saturata R. l. lanceolata	South-central South America	LC  Unknown [14]

Genus Teledromas – Wetmore & Peters, 1922 – 1 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	IUCN status and estimated population
Sandy gallito	T. fuscus ( Sclater, P. L. & Salvin, 1873)	Central Argentina	LC  Unknown [15]

Genus Liosceles – Sclater, P. L., 1865 – 1 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	IUCN status and estimated population
Rusty-belted tapaculo	L. thoracicus ( Sclater, P. L., 1865) Three subspecies L. t. dugandi L. t. erithacus L. t. thoracicus	Western and southwestern Amazon rainforest	LC  Unknown [16]

Genus Psilorhamphus – Sclater, P. L., 1855 – 1 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	IUCN status and estimated population
Spotted bamboowren	P. guttatus ( Ménétriés, 1835)	Brazil and northeastern Argentina	LC  Unknown [17]

Genus Merulaxis – Lesson, R. P., 1831 – 2 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	IUCN status and estimated population
Slaty bristlefront	M. ater Lesson, R. P., 1831	Southeastern Brazil	LC  Unknown [18]
Stresemann's bristlefront	M. stresemanni Sick, 1960	Eastern Brazil	CR  1–49 [19]

Genus Eugralla – Lesson, R. P., 1842 – 1 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	IUCN status and estimated population
Ochre-flanked tapaculo	E. paradoxa ( Kittlitz, 1830)	Southwestern South America	LC  Unknown [20]

Genus Myornis – Chapman, 1915 – 1 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	IUCN status and estimated population
Ash-colored tapaculo	M. senilis ( Lafresnaye, 1840)	Northwestern South America	LC  Unknown [21]

Genus Eleoscytalopus – Maurício, Mata, Bornschein, Cadena, Alvarenga & Bonatto, 2008 – 2 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	IUCN status and estimated population
White-breasted tapaculo	E. indigoticus ( Wied, 1831)	Southeastern Brazil	LC  Unknown [22]
Bahia tapaculo	E. psychopompus ( Teixeira & Carnevalli, 1989)	Eastern Brazil	EN  250–999 [23]

Genus Scytalopus – Gould, 1837 – 49 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	IUCN status and estimated population
Marsh tapaculo	S. iraiensis Bornschein, Reinert & Pichorim, 1998	Southern Brazil	EN  250–999 [24]
Diamantina tapaculo	S. diamantinensis Bornschein, Maurício, Belmonte-Lopes, Mata & Bonatto, 2007	Northeastern Brazil	EN  2500–9999 [25]
Brasília tapaculo	S. novacapitalis Sick, 1958	Southern Brazil	EN  Unknown [26]
Rock tapaculo	S. petrophilus Whitney, de Vasconcelos, Silveira & Pacheco, 2010	Southeastern Brazil	LC  Unknown [27]
Planalto tapaculo	S. pachecoi Maurício, 2005	Southeastern Brazil and northeastern Argentina	LC  Unknown [28]
Boa Nova tapaculo	S. gonzagai Maurício, Belmonte-Lopes, Pacheco, Silveira, Whitney & Bornschein, 2014	Southeastern Brazil	EN  1000–2499 [29]
Mouse-colored tapaculo	S. speluncae ( Ménétries, 1835)	Southeastern Brazil	LC  Unknown [30]
Dusky tapaculo	S. fuscus Gould, 1837	Central Chile	LC  Unknown [31]
Magellanic tapaculo	S. magellanicus ( Gmelin, J. F., 1789)	Chile and Argentina	LC  Unknown [32]
Ancash tapaculo	S. affinis Zimmer, J. T., 1939	Western Peru	LC  Unknown [33]
White-winged tapaculo	S. krabbei Schulenberg, Lane, Spencer, AJ, Angulo & Cadena, 2020	North-central Peru	NE  Unknown
Loja tapaculo	S. androstictus Krabbe and Cadena, 2010	Southeastern Ecuador and northern Peru	NE  Unknown
Paramo tapaculo	S. opacus Zimmer, J. T., 1941	Central Colombia to south-central Ecuador	LC  Unknown [34]
Paramillo tapaculo	S. canus Chapman, 1915	Western Colombia	NT  3300–15500 [35]
White-browed tapaculo	S. superciliaris Cabanis, 1883 Two subspecies S. s. superciliaris S. s. santabarbarae	Northwestern Argentina	LC  Unknown [36]
Zimmer's tapaculo	S. zimmeri Bond, J. & Meyer de Schauensee, 1940	Southern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina	LC  Unknown [37]
Puna tapaculo	S. simonsi Chubb, C., 1917	Southeastern Peru to central Bolivia	LC  Unknown [38]
Diademed tapaculo	S. schulenbergi Whitney, 1994	Southeastern Peru to central Bolivia	LC  Unknown [39]
Vilcabamba tapaculo	S. urubambae Zimmer, J. T., 1939	East-central Peru	LC  2500–9999 [40]
Ampay tapaculo	S. whitneyi Krabbe et al., 2020	Southern Peru	NE  Unknown
Jalca tapaculo	S. frankeae Krabbe et al., 2020	Central Peru	NE  Unknown
Neblina tapaculo	S. altirostris Zimmer, J. T., 1939	Northern Peru	LC  Unknown [41]
Trilling tapaculo	S. parvirostris Zimmer, J. T., 1939	North-central Peru to east-central Bolivia	LC  Unknown [42]
Bolivian tapaculo	S. bolivianus Allen, J. A., 1889	Southeastern Peru to southern Bolivia	LC  Unknown [43]
White-crowned tapaculo	S. atratus Hellmayr, 1922 Three subspecies S. a. nigricans S. a. atratus S. a. confusus	Northwestern South America	LC  Unknown [44]
Santa Marta tapaculo	S. sanctaemartae Chapman, 1915	Northern Colombia	NT  22000 [45]
Long-tailed tapaculo	S. micropterus ( Sclater, P. L., 1858)	Colombia to northern Peru	LC  Unknown [46]
Rufous-vented tapaculo	S. femoralis ( Tschudi, 1844)	Central Peru	LC  Unknown [47]
Utcubamba tapaculo	S. intermedius Zimmer, J. T., 1939	North-central Peru	NE  Unknown
Large-footed tapaculo	S. macropus Berlepsch & Stolzmann, 1896	Peru	LC  Unknown [48]
Junin tapaculo	S. gettyae Hosner et al., 2013	Central Peru	NT  10000–19999 [49]
Unicolored tapaculo	S. unicolor Salvin, 1895	West-central Peru	NT  8500–11500 [50]
Tschudi's tapaculo	S. acutirostris ( Tschudi, 1844)	Central Peru	LC  140,000 [51]
Blackish tapaculo	S. latrans Hellmayr, 1924 Two subspecies S. l. latrans S. l. subcinereus	Northwestern South America	LC  Unknown [52]
Silvery-fronted tapaculo	S. argentifrons Ridgway, 1891 Two subspecies S. a. argentifrons S. a. chiriquensis	Costa Rica and Panama	LC  50000–499999 [53]
Nariño tapaculo	S. vicinior Zimmer, J. T., 1939	Northwestern South America	LC  Unknown [54]
Tacarcuna tapaculo	S. panamensis Chapman, 1915	Eastern Panama and northwestern Colombia	NT  2500–9999 [55]
Chocó tapaculo	S. chocoensis Krabbe & Schulenberg, 1997	Eastern Panama to northwestern Ecuador	LC  Unknown [56]
Magdalena tapaculo	S. rodriguezi Krabbe et al., 2005 Two subspecies S. r. yariguiorum S. r. rodriguezi	Central Colombia	EN  1500–7000 [57]
Stiles's tapaculo	S. stilesi Cuervo et al., 2005	Central Colombia	LC  40000–180000 [58]
Tatama tapaculo	S. alvarezlopezi Cuervo et al., 2005	Western Colombia	NT  20000–49999 [59]
El Oro tapaculo	S. robbinsi Krabbe & Schulenberg, 1997	Southwestern Ecuador	EN  1900–5000 [60]
Caracas tapaculo	S. caracae Hellmayr, 1922	Northern Venezuela	LC  Unknown [61]
Pale-bellied tapaculo	S. griseicollis ( Lafresnaye, 1840) Three subspecies S. g. gilesi S. g. griseicollis S. g. morenoi	Northwestern South America	LC  Unknown [62]
Brown-rumped tapaculo	S. latebricola Bangs, 1899	Northern Colombia	NT  Unknown [63]
Perijá tapaculo	S. perijanus Avendaño et al., 2015	Perijá Mountains	NT  10000–19999 [64]
Mérida tapaculo	S. meridanus Hellmayr, 1922 Two subspecies S. m. meridanus S. m. fuscicauda	Northwestern Venezuela	LC  Unknown [65]
Chusquea tapaculo	S. parkeri Krabbe & Schulenberg, 1997	Northwestern South America	LC  Unknown [66]
Spillmann's tapaculo	S. spillmanni Stresemann, 1937	Northwestern South America	LC  Unknown [67]

Notes

References