| Scytalopus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Magellanic tapaculo (Scytalopus magellanicus) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Rhinocryptidae |
| Genus: | Scytalopus Gould, 1837 |
| Type species | |
| Motacilla magellanica Magellanic tapaculo Gmelin, JF, 1789
| |
| Species | |
|
49 species, see list | |
Scytalopus is a genus of small suboscine passerine birds belonging to the tapaculo family Rhinocryptidae. They are found in South and Central America from Tierra del Fuego to Costa Rica, but are absent from the Amazon Basin. They inhabit dense vegetation at or near ground-level and are mainly found in mountainous regions, particularly the Andes. They can be very difficult to see as they run through the undergrowth in a mouse-like fashion.