White-bellied Cinclodes

The white-bellied cinclodes is larger and has a longer tail than other members of its genus and more resembles a mockingbird than a typical Cinclodes. It grows to a length of about 24 cm (9 in). The crown is brownish-grey, the upper parts and wings rufous-brown with a broad white wing bar, and the underparts pure white. This bird's song is a rapid chattering "pipipipipi pi pi" that sometimes speeds up into a piping, higher-pitched "wee wee wee wee wee".

This species is known only from a high altitude strip of land in Junín Region in Peru. It has previously also been recorded in the Huancavelica Region but recent surveys of that area have failed to find it. It has very specific habitat requirements; it needs mineral-rich, boggy terrain where such cushion plants as Distichia grow, with crags and rocky slopes nearby. Its altitudinal range is about 4,430 m (14,530 ft) to the snowline at around 5,000 m (16,400 ft). This habitat is often found near the foot of glaciers, but there is much apparently suitable habitat where the birds are not present.

The white-bellied cinclodes forages in pairs or small groups, pushing its beak into the wet ground to find worms and other invertebrates. Its breeding habits are not well known, but the nest is usually hidden in a rock crevice.