Distribution

Magellanic Tapaculo occurs in Chile from the central Andes to Cape Horn, and in Argentina from the central Andes to Tierra del Fuego. It is probably extinct in the Falkland Islands, where it used to be resident (35 Gould, J. (1839) The zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, under the command of Capt. Fitzroy, R. N., during the years 1832 to 1836. Part III. Birds. Smith, Elder and Co., London. Close , 36 Woods, R. W. (1988). The Birds of the Falkland Islands. Anthony Nelson, Oswestry, England. Close , 37 Strange, I. (1992). Wildlife of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Harper Collins Publishers, London. Close , 38 Woods, R. W. (2017). The Birds of the Falkland Islands: An Annotated Checklist. BOC Checklist 26. British Ornithologists' Club, Tring, UK. Close )

The current range of the species comprises a continuous distribution along the Andes from Valparaiso to Ñuble, with a broader range from the Andes to the coast from Biobío to Cape Horn. There are additional records from some valleys and coastal regions between Valparaíso to Ñuble (eBird). There are also some records in the Central Andes from Coquimbo and Atacama, suggesting that the Andean population may have a larger distribution; alternatively, some authors (8 Jaramillo, A. (2003). A Field Guide to the Birds of Chile Including the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 9 Martínez, D., and G. González (2017). Las aves de Chile. Guía de Campo y Breve Historia Natural. Ediciones del Naturalista, Santiago, Chile. Close , 14 Pearman, M., and J. I. Areta (2021). Birds of Argentina and the South-west Atlantic. Princeton University Press, NJ, USA. Close ) suggested that populations from the Central Andes could even represent a separate species, though more work is needed to clarify the status of these birds. It typically occurs from sea level to 3,000 m (9 Martínez, D., and G. González (2017). Las aves de Chile. Guía de Campo y Breve Historia Natural. Ediciones del Naturalista, Santiago, Chile. Close , 8 Jaramillo, A. (2003). A Field Guide to the Birds of Chile Including the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), but recent studies have found it occurs up to 3,500 m (39 Medrano, F., R. Barros, H. V. Norambuena, R. Matus, and F. Schmitt (2018). Atlas de Las Aves Nidificantes de Chile. Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile, Santiago, Chile. Close ). The highest records are from the northern portion of its distribution in the Andes.

It is sympatric with Dusky Tapaculo in Zapallar forests (6 Correa, A, J. A. Figueroa, and R. Rozzi (2020). Primer registro de simpatría en dos especies de Scytalopus (Fam. Rhinocryptidae) en Zapallar, Región de Valparaíso, Chile. Revista Catalana d’Ornitologia 36:79-82 Close ), between the Bío-Bío river to Valdivia (16 Johnson, A. W. (1967). The Birds of Chile and Adjacent Regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. Volume 2. Platt Establecimientos Gráficos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Close , 40 Ridgely, R. S., and G. Tudor (1994). The Birds of South America. Volume 2. University of Texas Press, Austin, TX, USA. Close , 41 Vuilleumier, F. (1985). Forest birds of Patagonia: ecological geography, speciation, endemism and faunal history. Ornithological Monographs 36:255–304 Close ), and in Nahuelbuta National Park (42 Norambuena, H., R. Barros, and V. Raimilla (2011). Presencia de Churrín del norte (Scytalopus fuscus) en la cordillera de Nahuelbuta, región de La Araucanía, Chile. Boletín Chileno de Ornitología 17:109-112. Close ). It is also highly likely that these two species occur sympatrically at other localities that have yet to be identified.

Its distribution does not appear to be changing; however, it has likely disappeared from some areas based on historical records. For example, it no longer appears to occur in Puerto Williams on Navarino Island or the Falkland Islands based on recent searches (38 Woods, R. W. (2017). The Birds of the Falkland Islands: An Annotated Checklist. BOC Checklist 26. British Ornithologists' Club, Tring, UK. Close , 43 Correa, A. (2021). Observaciones del Churrín magallánico (Scytalopus magellanicus, fam. Rhinocryptidae) en el extremo austral del sur del mundo, Cabo de Hornos, Chile. In Zoologia e Meio Ambiente (J. M. B. Oliveira-Junior and L. B. Calvão, Editors), Atena Editora, Brasil. pp. 56-65. Close ). It has also likely disappeared from some other areas where the original vegetation was replaced by urban development, forestry, and agriculture, and in places where rivers or creeks used to have water throughout the year but now only have water during rainy months.