Habitat

Magellanic Tapaculo primarily inhabits native forests and forest edges, but it is also found in pine (Pinus sp.) plantations, with dense understory shrubs mainly of Chusquea bamboo and also introduced bramble (Rubus sp.). It also occurs in shrubby bogs, in shrubs near water courses, near cultivated areas, and even in ravines with water courses surrounded by cultivated areas (3 Goodall, J. D., A. W. Johnson, and R. A. Philippi-B. (1957). Las Aves de Chile. Volume 2. Platt Establecimientos Gráficos, Buenos Aires, Argentina Close , 44 Sieving, K. E., M. F. Willson, and T. L. De Santo (1996) Habitat barriers to movement of understory birds in fragmented south-temperate rainforest. Auk 113: 944-949. Close , 45 Ibarra, J. T., T. A. Altamirano, I. M. Rojas, M. T. Honorato, A. Vermehren, G. Ossa, N. Gálvez, K. Martin, and C. Bonacic (2018). Sotobosque de bambú: hábitat esencial para la biodiversidad del bosque templado andino de Chile. La Chiricoca 23:4-14. Close ). One study showed a higher abundance in pine plantations and forest fragments compared to continuous forest, where it was apparently associated with a dense understory; the authors suggested that pine plantations might be a suitable matrix for this species and other tapaculos as long as a dense understory is present (46 Vergara, P. M., and J.A. Simonetti (2006). Abundance and movement of understory birds in a Maulino forest fragmented by pine plantations. Biodiversity and Conservation 15:3937–3947. Close ). Populations in the Andes inhabit the Andean steppe in rocky areas close to water courses and rocky grasslands (47 Fjeldså, J., and N. Krabbe (1990). Birds of the High Andes. A Manual to the Birds of the Temperate Zone of the Andes and Patagonia, South America. Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen and Apollo Books, Copenhagen, and Svendborg, Denmark. Close , 5 Couve, E., C. F. Vidal, and J. Ruiz (2016). Aves de Chile - Sus islas oceánicas y Península Antártica. FS- Editorial Fantástico Sur, Punta Arenas, Chile. Close ). In the Fuegian archipelagos, it inhabits shrubby dwarf forests of Nothofagus antarctica, coastal Poa grasslands, and shrub areas (5 Couve, E., C. F. Vidal, and J. Ruiz (2016). Aves de Chile - Sus islas oceánicas y Península Antártica. FS- Editorial Fantástico Sur, Punta Arenas, Chile. Close ). In Tierra del Fuego, it used to be abundant in forests (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 ), but now occurs in scrublands on islands that are exposed to the Pacific Ocean (48 Rozzi, R., and J. E. Jiménez (2014). Magellanic Sub-Antarctic ornithology: First Decade of Long-Term Bird Studies at the Omora Ethnobotanical Park, Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, Chile. University of North Texas Press, TX, USA. Close ). There is also a record of one individual at 12.3 m in a Nothofagus dombeyi tree in southern Chile (49 Godoy-Güinao, J., and I. A. Díaz (2018). First records of Rhynocryptid understory birds in the canopy of Chilean temperate rainforests. Ornitología Neotropical 29:297-300. Close ).