About Scytalopus magellanicus (Gmelin, 1789)
Scytalopus magellanicus is a wren-like bird measuring 10 to 12 cm in length. It has a slender black bill, pinkish fairly long legs, and a short tail that is held erect. Its plumage is dark grey, with a chestnut tinge on the flanks, undertail, and wings. Some individuals have a silvery-white patch on the crown. Juveniles are brown with dark barring, and usually do not have white on the crown. Its song is loud, staccato, and repetitive. Its distribution range stretches north from Tierra del Fuego to Chile’s Valparaíso Region and Argentina’s San Juan Province. Charles Darwin collected a specimen on the Falkland Islands in 1833 or 1834, but there have been no confirmed records of the species there since that time. This bird lives in dense low vegetation in forests and woodlands, where it forages for insects. It is often found near water, and is commonly associated with stands of Chusquea bamboo.
