Surf Cinclodes Cinclodes taczanowskii

Passerines usually are considered to be the quintessential land birds, but the Surf Cinclodes puts that notion to the test. This species spends most of its life at the interface of land and water, foraging on rocks at the surf zone, and is rarely seen more than a meter or two from the edge of the ocean; it has been described as "almost certainly the most maritime of all passerine birds" (Paynter 1971). This interesting species is endemic to the coast of Peru; the related Seaside Cinclodes Cinclodes nigrofumosus occupies the same habitat along the coasts of Chile. Although the Surf Cinclodes is fairly common and is widely distributed along the coast of Peru, almost nothing is known about its biology.