Merida Tapaculo Scytalopus meridanus

A tiny, secretive bird of the Venezuelan Andes, plain and dark with a short tail. In good view, mostly plain dark gray with brown, barred belly, more prominent in female. Juvenile mostly brown and markedly barred. Difficult to see as it scurries near the ground in bamboo thickets in cloud forest. Varied vocalizations; like most tapaculos, heard far more often than seen. Two other species of tapaculo occur in range: Blackish Tapaculo is black rather than gray; White-crowned Tapaculo is darker and has a conspicuous white crown; both separable by voice. Endemic to the Venezuelan Andes from Táchira to Lara.