Moustached turca

Appearance

The moustached is a stocky bird, approximately 22.5 cm long and a mass between 95–125 grams. It has a heavy bill, cocked tail and disproportionately big feet, from which its name originates from. The adult plumage is mostly cinnamon brown with white barring on the breast, belly and undertail-coverts. The top of their head can appear gray-brown. They have a dark eyestripe, white eyebrow and a white broad stripe on the sides of the throat. The bill and legs are black in adults. Overall, the juveniles resemble the adults with differences being that juveniles have an unbarred rump and more fainted barring on the flanks. The plumage of females and males are alike, but size-wise the female is usually smaller.

The "atacamae" subspecies is smaller, overall much paler and has whiter underparts in comparison to its sister subspecies.

The only species it could be confused with is the white-throated tapaculo " which shares a similar environment. However, the tapaculo is smaller and does not have the distinctive white moustache of the turca.

Distribution

This species is endemic to Chile. The nominate subspecies, "megapodius," is found in central Chile, from the center towards the southern limit. The isolated form, "atacamae," occurs in the Atacama Region.

All observations regarding reproductive individuals were found between the sea level and 2,000 metres in the foothills of the Andes. However, some non-reproductive individuals have been found at altitudes up to 3,200 metres. Overall, the species can be found on hillsides with some shrubs and low tree cover. It prefers areas with low water content in the soil and in the case of the "atacamae" subspecies is only found in a semi-desert region with scattered rocks and boulders. More information is needed regarding its specific habitat requirements.

Regarding its distribution, based on previous observations made by Reed and Passler, the southern limit of the distribution was thought to be the Concepción region and the northern limit, the Coquimbo region. Since then, there have been many debates regarding these limits. In 1946, Goodall et al. suggested the northern limit as the Huasco river and reiterates that the southern limit is the Concepción region. In 2004, Marin suggested Quebrado El León as the northern limit and Las Trancas as the southern limit. In the last couple of years, the northern limit has been narrowed down to the Parque National Llanos Challe using current eBird observations whereas the southern limit has been moved much more North than previously thought, in the region of Rauco. Observations of the moustached turca were not found South of the Rauco region. This concords with other records that suggest the distribution of this species was limited to the southern limit of the Constitución region before the forest plantations. Passler’s observations in 1929 in the Concepción region were probably of the black-throated huet-huet, "Pteroptochos tarnii".

Status

This species has been assessed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2022 and categorized as "Least Concern ". Although the population size has not be quantified, researchers believe that the population is not vulnerable due to their stable range, maintaining itself above 20 000 km2, and a population trend/size that is also stable. There is no on going monitoring of this population nor are there any special measures in place, yet conservation sites have been identified within their home range. These sites actively protect its habitat and include the Llanos de Challe National Park, Las Chinchillas National Reserve, La Campana National Park, Yerba Loca Nature Sanctuary, Parque Andino Juncal, Rio Clarillo National Park and Rio Cipreses National Reserve.

Something to consider is that up until 2004, this species had been categorized under "Unknown" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Additionally, information regarding population size, breeding, predators, sexual behaviour, and more are still limited or unknown to this day. Therefore, a fair assessment of the status of the moustached turca in these circumstances is difficult.

It is not classified under the Chilean Endangered Species Act, although it is illegal to hunt it in Chile.

Behavior

It is a mainly ground-dwelling bird and can run quickly. It seldom uses its wings and only does so for short distance flights. It is preyed on by Harris's hawk, the bicolored hawk, the austral pygmy owl and the barn owl. There are no observations of predation on their eggs in their nest.

Reproduction

They will start their nesting process in July and chicks will hatch between August and December. Adults have been observed to start their nests at the end of July. Some observations have been made of adults carrying food in the nest up until January, suggesting the rearing of young birds is still happening at that time.

The moustached turca creates tunnels between 0.4–2.2 metres deep in an earth bank on steep rocky hillsides. No vegetation protects the entrance but due to the steep slope, it is presumed to be well protected from predators. At the end of this burrow is a cavity of approximately 25 centimetres of width where the nest is found.

The "megapodius" subspecies has slightly bigger eggs with a mean length of 35.3 millimetres and width of 26.6 millimetres in comparison to the "atacamae", with respectively 32.1 millimetres and 24.6 millimetres. Clutch size also varies between both subspecies, with the "megapodius" usually having 2 eggs with an occasional third and the "atacamae" having 3 eggs. All eggs are white.

More research is needed on the post-reproductive behaviour of adults and juveniles.

Food

The moustached turca feeds mostly on invertebrates such as insects and earthworms. They can also feed on seeds and fruits by displacing rocks and foraging near plants.

Predators

Although not in at risk, the main threat to this species is habitat destruction and fragmentation. In some of its range, specifically in the south, there is a strong expansion and development of cities accompanied by the conversion of shrublands to vineyards and avocado plantations. As the landscape cover shifts into an agricultural setting, it will be important for wildlife managers to retain and maintain some native vegetation as these attract the local birds, which could include the moustached turca. Additionally, the urbanization of previously undisturbed landscapes degrade habitat in an invisible way: the sound. The noise that accompanies cities has been identified as one of the barriers for native birds to occupy the spaces within these urban areas, regardless of specific habitat requirements.

There is evidence suggesting that cats could possibly predate on this species due to the moustached turca’s presence in proximity to cities. This is also generally supported by literature as domesticated cats can venture far from their households when forest are in proximity, thus causing an increased risk to wildlife.