ABSTRACT
Tapaculo (Scytalopus) nests are difficult to find because they are well-hidden in cavities, hence, there is limited information available for this genus. We provide additional data for the nest and eggs and the first descriptions of the nestlings, their growth, and parental behavior of the Blackish Tapaculo (Scytalopus latrans) based on one nest found in western Colombia. The nest was an underground dome composed of moss and rootlets in the side of a slope covered with montane scrub. It contained 2 eggs, both of which hatched 13 days later; the nestlings fledged 13 days after hatching. Nest attentiveness was 76.1% with an average of 18.7 (SD 3.1) trips per day. The parents conducted longer, but more variable, on-bouts of 66.3 min (SD 158.1) compared to shorter off-bouts of 9.3 min (SD 8.7). Combined nestling growth rates averaged 8.7% (SD 4.9) for tarsus, 14.2% (SD 8.3) for wing, and 14.3% (SD 14.36) for weight (% daily growth). Twenty-six days after fledging, a color-banded nestling was caught in a mist net with an assumed parent nearby, approximately 150 m from the nest. Our S. latrans nest, eggs, and clutch size match previous Scytalopus tapaculo nesting reports, but we documented lower nest attentiveness and higher nestling growth rates than previously reported in the genus. Additionally, we observed a parent provisioning nestlings with a frog, which constitutes a significant expansion of the known diet for the family.