Ecuador: Refugio Paz de las Aves – Ocellated Tapaculos

Ocellated Tapaculo (Acropternis orthonyx) is often called the “king of the tapaculos”. Despite its bright colors, it is rarely seen. It lives in the dense Chusquea bamboo thickets of the cloud forest (between 2,500m and 3,000m altitude). It is so shy that birdwatchers often describe it as a “ghost.” Tapaculo is translated from Spanish as “Cover your butt”and they have a long and beautiful tail that is always open like a fan. Looks like that try to cover their butts for real Once again, Uncle Angel guided us to spot one. So, we drove all the way up to the cloud forest and hiked for about half a kilometer and then we stopped immediately, because we heard quite loud “WHEEUW”. It was it. Angel used his recorded audio of ocellated tapaculo and finally a bird couple showed up. Ocellated Tapaculo is a “fashion icon” of the forest, the plumage is very bright comparing to other Tapaculos. This bird has a unique and somewhat comical way of finding food. It uses a technique called “jump-scratching.” It will leap into the air and use both feet simultaneously to scrape back leaf litter and soil to uncover insects and plant material. Its incredibly long, straight hind claws are specifically adapted for this heavy-duty digging. We make other birders cry in envy!