About Rhinocrypta lanceolata (I.Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1832)
The crested gallito (scientific name Rhinocrypta lanceolata (I.Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1832)) is an unusual tapaculo species. Adults measure 21 cm (8.3 in) in total length. Males weigh 59 to 63.5 g (2.08 to 2.24 oz), while females weigh 51.5 to 64 g (1.82 to 2.26 oz). This species has distinctive long crown feathers that it frequently erects into a crest, which may even bend forward, and it also has a long tail that it holds cocked upward. The nominate subspecies has a cinnamon head marked with white streaks, and its upper parts including the wings and tail are olive gray. Its throat and chest are pale gray, the sides of its breast are chestnut, and its lower belly is olive gray. The subspecies R. l. saturata matches the nominate in pattern but has overall darker coloration. The nominate subspecies of crested gallito is distributed from northern Argentina through central Argentina, extending south to northern Río Negro Province and southern Buenos Aires Province. The subspecies R. l. saturata occurs in southeastern Bolivia and western Paraguay. The crested gallito lives in Chaco forest at elevations ranging from sea level up to 1,800 m (5,900 ft), with R. l. saturata restricted to lower elevations within this range. It is most often found in thorny brush and forest undergrowth.
