Táchira Antpitta
Encyclopedia
The Táchira Antpitta is a cryptical
bird
species
. It is provisionally placed in the family
Formicariidae
, pending revision of this group. This species was only sighted and collected between 1955 and 1956, and may be extinct.
and Alexander Wetmore
collected four specimens in the type locality at the hacienda
La Providencia at the Rio Chiquita in the south-western part of Táchira
, Venezuela
. The type locality is located in the El Tamá National Park where some suitable habitat still remains. However, between 1990 and 1996 the cloud forest
in the Rio Chiquita valley - including parts of the national park and the type locality - was entirely changed into coffee
plantation
s below 1,600 m ASL
, and largely cut down for vegetable gardens between 1,900 and 2,200 m ASL.
Despite extensive searches from 1990 to 1996, this species has not been observed since more than half a century. It was formerly classified as Endangered by the IUCN. But with current research failing to relocate this species, it is uplisted to Critically Endangered
status in 2008.
Cryptozoology
Cryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. It is provisionally placed in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Formicariidae
Formicariidae
The Formicariidae, formicariids, or ground antbirds are a family of smallish passerine birds of subtropical and tropical Central and South America. They are between 10 and 20 cm in length, and are related to the antbirds, Thamnophilidae, and gnateaters, Conopophagidae...
, pending revision of this group. This species was only sighted and collected between 1955 and 1956, and may be extinct.
Description
The Táchira Antpitta reaches a length of 17 cm. Its upperparts are brownish. Crown and nape are coloured grey. The mantle has black barrings. Throat and ear coverts are brown. It is further characterised by a white malar stripe. The lower belly is whitish, the flanks and the breast have grey barrings.Status
The Táchira Antpitta was last seen in 1956. Between 1955 and 1956 the ornithologists William Henry PhelpsWilliam Henry Phelps
William Henry Phelps was an American ornithologist and businessman.-Early life:Born in New York City to Dudley F. Phelps, and of Louise Lander Prince Phelps, he attended Milton Academy and Harvard College...
and Alexander Wetmore
Alexander Wetmore
Frank Alexander Wetmore was an American ornithologist and avian paleontologist.-Life:Wetmore studied at the University of Kansas...
collected four specimens in the type locality at the hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
La Providencia at the Rio Chiquita in the south-western part of Táchira
Táchira (state)
Táchira State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Cristóbal.Táchira State covers a total surface area of 11,100 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 1,177,300....
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. The type locality is located in the El Tamá National Park where some suitable habitat still remains. However, between 1990 and 1996 the cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
in the Rio Chiquita valley - including parts of the national park and the type locality - was entirely changed into coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s below 1,600 m ASL
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
, and largely cut down for vegetable gardens between 1,900 and 2,200 m ASL.
Despite extensive searches from 1990 to 1996, this species has not been observed since more than half a century. It was formerly classified as Endangered by the IUCN. But with current research failing to relocate this species, it is uplisted to Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations....
status in 2008.