Slaty antwren

Myrmotherula schisticolor

Photo by Nick Athanas (Antpitta)

Common name:
slaty antwren (en); choquinha-ardósia (pt); myrmidon ardoisé (fr); hormiguerito pizarroso (es); Hochland-ameisenschlüpfer (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae

Range:
This species is found from Guatemala to northern Venezuela and Colombia, along the western slopes of the Andes down to southern Ecuador and along the eastern slopes of the Andes down to southern Peru.

Size:
These birds are 10 cm long and weigh 9,5-10 g.

Habitat:
The slaty antwren is found in tropical moist forests, especially in mountainous areas, but also in lower areas, ranging in altitude between 900-2.400 m.

Diet:
They eat small insects and spiders, collected among the foliage and in moss covered branches.

Breeding:
Slaty antwrens breed in March-July. The nest is a deep cup made of black rhizomorphs, placed in an horizontal fork in a sapling, 1-2 m above the ground. There the female lays 2 white or cream-coloured eggs with brown, purple or reddish spots. The eggs are incubated by both sexes for 15-17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 10-11 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and a global population estimated at 50.000-500.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction in various parts of their range, but it is not considered threatened at present.

Chestnut-backed antbird

Myrmeciza exsul

Photo by Ned Haight (Neotropical Birds)

Common name:
chestnut-backed antbird (en); formigueiro-de-corso-castanho (pt); alapi à dos roux (fr); hormiguero dorsicastaño (es); braunrücken-ameisenvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae

Range:
This species is found from Guatemala south to western Colombia and Ecuador.

Size:
These birds are 14 cm long and weigh 24-32 g.

Habitat:
The chestnut-backed antbird is mostly found on the understorey of mature evergreen rainforests, but can also occur in second growths, abandoned plantations and drier forests. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.

Diet:
They feed on a variety of invertebrates, including beetles such as Cerambycidae, Curculionidae, Carabidae, Chrysomelidae, cockroaches and their eggs, grasshoppers, crickets, earwigs, bugs, caterpillars, spiders, centipedes and mantids. They occasionally also take small frogs and lizards, phasmids and a few seeds. Sometimes they follow army ant swarms to hunt.

Breeding:
Chestnut-backed antbirds are monogamous. The nest is an untidy open cup made of dead leaves, rootlets, dead ferns and moss, and lined with rhizomorphs. There the female lays 1-2 whitish eggs with brown or purplish blotches, which are incubated by both parents for about 16 days. The are fed by both parents and fledge 11 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction, but it is not considered threatened at present.

White-flanked antwren

Myrmotherula axillaris

Photo by Hugo Viana (Flickr)

Common name:
white-flanked antwren (en); choquinha-de-flancos-brancos (pt); myrmidon à flancs blancs (fr); hormiguerito flanquialbo (es); weißflanken-ameisenschlüpfer

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae

Range:
This species is found from Honduras down to Bolivia and northern Brazil. There are also isolated populations along the coast of eastern and south-eastern Brazil.

Size:
These birds are 9-10,5 cm long and weigh 8-9 g.

Habitat:
The white-flanked antwren is mostly found in the understory and mid-canopy of moist tropical forests and swamp forests, and also along rivers and streams and to a lesser extent in second growth areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.

Diet:
They forage among the foliage, taking small insects and spiders.

Breeding:
White-flanked antwrens breed in a deep cup made of dry leaves, plant fibres and dark fungal rhizomorphs, placed on a tree or scrub up to 4 m above the ground. The female lays 2 white eggs with purple spots, which are incubated by both sexes for 16-19 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 10-11 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. The population is expected to decline moderately based on a model of Amazonian deforestation.

Western slaty-antshrike

Thamnophilus atrinucha

Photo by Tobias Gerlach (Deep Green Photo)

Common name:
western slaty-antshrike (en); choca-de-nuca-negra (pt); batara à nuque noire (fr); batará pizarroso occidental (es); westlicher tropfenameisenwürger (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae

Range:
This species is found from Guatemala to north-western Venezuela, western Colombia and western Ecuador.

Size:
These birds are 14-15 cm long and weigh 22-24 g.

Habitat:
The western slaty-antshrike is found in primary and secondary tropical moist and evergreen forests as well as forest edges. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:
They forage on the understory, often joining antwren flocks, and sometimes follow army ant swarms when these enter their territory. They mainly feed on arthropods, such as scorpions, spiders, millipedes, roaches, stick insects, mantids, crickets, katydids, grasshoppers, cicadas, bugs and moths. They are also known to prey on Anolis lizards.

Breeding:
These birds can breed all year round, but especially in December-September. They are socially monogamous and the nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a thin cup made of plant fibres, rhizomorphs, rootlets, spider webs and moss. It is tied to two or three small twigs of a horizontal fork, up to 7 m above the ground. There the female lays 1-2 white eggs with reddish-brown spots, which are incubated by both sexes for about 16 days. The chicks fledge 10 days after hatching. Each pair can raise 1-2 broods per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
The western slaty-antshrike has a large breeding range and is described as fairly common to common throughout much of this range. This species is able to thrive in some edge and secondary habitats, thus the population is suspected to be at least stable.

Plain antvireo

Dysithamnus mentalis

Photo by Carmelo López (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
plain antvireo (en); choquinha-lisa (pt); batara gorgeret (fr); batarito cabecigrís (es); olivgrauer würgerling (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae

Range:
This species is found in Central and South America, from southern Mexico and Guatemala to Venezuela and western Colombia, through Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia and into central, eastern and south-eastern Brazil. The plain antvireo is also found in Paraguay and extreme northern Argentina, as well as in Trinidad and Tobago.

Size:
These birds are 11-12 cm long and weigh 12,5-15 g.

Habitat:
The plain antvireo is found in both rainforests and dry savannas, and to a lesser extent in swamp forests, at altitudes of 600-2.500 m.

Diet:
They forage on the lower branches of the trees taking insects and other arthropods, namely bees, moths, ants, katydids and spiders.

Breeding:
Plain antvireos breed in February-July. The nest is a deep cup made of made of small twigs and plant fibres, placed in an horizontal fork in a sapling up to 2 m above the ground. The female lays 2 white eggs with purple-brown spots, which are incubated for about 15 days. The chicks fledge 9 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 500.000-5.000.000 individuals. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction, but it appears to tolerate some degree of habitat disturbance and human activity.

Dusky-throated antshrike

Thamnomanes ardesiacus

Photo by Marc Chrétien (GEPOG)

Common name:
dusky-throated antshrike (en); uirapuru-de-garganta-preta (pt); batara ardoisé (fr); batará gorgioscuro (es); nördlicher schwarzkehlwürgerling (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae

Range:
This South American species is found in northern Brazil and the Guyanas, in southern Venezuela, southern Colombia and through Ecuador and Peru down to northern Bolivia.

Size:
These birds are 13-14 cm long and weigh 13-23 g.

Habitat:
The dusky-throated antshrike is found in the understorey of tropical rainforests and swamp forests, mainly in areas of terra firme.

Diet:
They are insectivorous, searching for their prey on the foliage or by sallying out from a perch. They are also known to join mixed-species flocks and follow ant swarms and will occasionally eat larger prey such as lizards.

Breeding:
Dusky-throated antshrikes nest in a cup made of fungal filaments lined with dry leaves, placed in a fork in a tree, up to 10 m above the ground. There the female lays 2 eggs which are incubated for 11-12 days. There is no information regarding the fledgling period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction, but it is not considered threatened at present.

Bananal antbird

Cercomacra ferdinandi

Photo by Ciro Albano (NE Brazil Birding)

Common name:
bananal antbird (en); chororó-de-Goiás (pt); grisin de bananal (fr); hormiguero de bananal (es); bananalameisenfänger (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae

Range:
This species is endemic to the wetlands of the central Araguaia and Tocantins rivers in central Brazil, between Goiás and Maranhão.

Size:
These birds are 15-18 cm long and weigh 13-18,5 g.

Habitat:
The bananal antbird is found in riparian thickets and igapó flooded rainforests, always near water.

Diet:
They hunt for insects and other invertebrates in forest understorey, usually individually, in pairs or in small family groups.

Breeding:
Bananal antbirds breed in May-July. The nest is a small cup made of plant fibres and twigs, placed hanging from a fork in a tree or vine up to 3 m above the ground. There the female lays 2 pink eggs with reddish-brown markings, which are incubated by both parents for 12-14 days. The chicks fledge 9-11 days after hatching. 

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a restricted breeding range and a global population estimated at 10.000-20.000 individuals. This population is suspected to be facing a rapid and on-going decline, mainly due to habitat loss caused by the construction of large hydroelectric plants along the entire Tocantins river and most of the Araguaia river.

Fasciated antshrike

Cymbilaimus lineatus

Photo by Dave Wendelken (Flickr)

Common name:
fasciated antshrike (en); choca-zebrada (pt); batara fascié (fr); hormiguero rayado (es); zebra-ameisenwürger (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae

Range:
This species is found from south-eastern Honduras to north-western Venezuela and south through Colombia to north-western Ecuador and northern Brazil, across virtually all of Amazonia and in the Guyanas.

Size:
These birds are 17-18 cm long and weigh 30-40 g.

Habitat:
These birds are found in evergreen rainforests, typically in the mid-storey canopy, but also along forest edges and in rior in second growths and thickets.

Diet:
The fasciated antshrike feeds on large insects and sometimes small frogs and lizards, but unlike other antshrikes they rarely follow ant swarms. They may ocasionally also eat fruits.

Breeding:
These birds breed in April-June. The nest is a thick-walled cup made of dark plant fibres, placed in a fork of foliage branches 2-8 m above the ground. There the female lays 2-3 cream-coloured eggs with brown and lilac spots. There is no information regarding the incubation and fledging periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
The fasciated antshrike has a very large breeding range and is described as fairly common. This species is expected to lose 15% of its available habitat over the next 3 generations, due to deforestation in the Amazonian basin, but it is not considered threatened at present.

Sooty antbird

Myrmeciza fortis

Photo by Christopher Plummer (PBase)

Common name:
sooty antbird (en); formigueiro-de-taoca (pt); alapi fuligineux (fr); hormiguero tiznado (es); schwarzgrauer ameisenvogel (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae


Range:
This South American species is found east of the Andes in southern Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and north-western Brazil.


Size:
These birds are 16-20 cm long and weigh 45-50 g.


Habitat:
Sooty antbirds are found in rainforests and sometimes also in swamp forests. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.


Diet:
They are obligate army ant followers, taking various invertebrates that are flushed by the activity of army ant swarms.


Breeding:
Sooty antbirds nest in a spherical chamber with an horizontal entrance tunnel, made of tightly woven plant materials and lined with plant fibres. This nest is concealed in leaf litter on the forest floor, often at the edge of frequently travelled trails. The female lays 2 creamy-white eggs with brown scrawls, which are incubated by both sexes for 14-18 days. The chicks fledge 9-10 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range, but is described as uncommon. This population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats, so the sooty antbird is not considered threatened at present.

Spotted antbird

Hylophylax naevioides

Photo by Paul Jones (Surfbirds)

Common name:
spotted antbird (en); guarda-floresta-maculado (pt); fourmilier grivelé (fr); hormiguero moteado (es); rotmantel-ameisenwächter (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae


Range:
This species is found in the Caribbean slopes of Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, in Panama, north-western Colombia and western Ecuador.


Size:
These birds are 11-12 cm long and weigh 16-19,5 g.


Habitat:
Spotted antbirds are found in lowland rainforests, from sea level up to an altitude of 900 m.


Diet:
They follow army ant swarms, taking the animals that try to escape the swarm. They are known to eat small spiders, scorpions, cockroaches, katydids, crickets, centipedes, sowbugs, moths, beetles, caterpillars, ants, bristletails and even small lizards and frogs.


Breeding:
The spotted antbird breeds in March-October. Both sexes build the nest, an open cup made of fungal rhizomorphs, leaves and small sticks, placed in open undergrowth, up to 2 m above the ground. There the female lays 2 white eggs with reddish-brown spots, which are incubated by both parents for 16-20 days. The chicks are raised by both parents and fledge 11 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as fairly common. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

Great antshrike

Taraba major

Photo by Csaba Godeny (Hide Photography)

Common name:
great antshrike (en); choró-boi (pt); grand batara (fr); batará grande (es); weißbrust-ameisenwürger (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae


Range:
This species is found from eastern Mexico, across Central America, and into South America down to northern Argentina and south-eastern Brazil.


Size:
These birds are 19-20 cm long and weigh 55-75 g.


Habitat:
Great antshrikes are mostly found in both dry and moist savannas, but also in moist scrublands, moist forests, second growths, plantations and gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.200 m.


Diet:
They mostly glean insects and other arthropods from foliage, but will also take small lizards and mammals. They sometimes follow ant swarms to eat the small animals flushed by the ants.


Breeding:
The great antshrike breeds in July-December. The nest is a deep cup made of grasses and leaves and lined with soft materials. It is placed in a branch or fork in a scrub. The female lays 2-3 cream-coloured eggs with brown blotches, which are incubated by both parents for 14-18 days. The chicks are raised by both parents and fledge 12-13 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 500.000-5.000.000 individuals. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

Guianan warbling antbird

Hypocnemis cantator

Photo by Michel Giraud-Audine (Oiseaux)

Common name:
Guianan warbling antbird (en); cantador-da-Guiana (pt); alapi carillonneur (fr); hormiguero cantador de Guyana (es); Guyana-ameisenschnäpper (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae


Range:
This species is found in the Guyanas, in eastern Venezuela and in north-eastern Brazil, north of the Amazon river and east of the Negro and Branco rivers.


Size:
The Guianan warbling antbird is 11-12 cm long and weigh 13-14 g.


Habitat:
These birds are mostly found along the edges of moist and swamp forests, in secondary woodlands and along rivers, streams and marshes. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.300 m.


Diet:
They glean spiders and small insects from trunks and branches, in dense tangles of vegetation.


Breeding:
Guianan warbling antbirds build a pouch-shaped pensile nest, located beside a trunk or large branch, about 1 m above the ground. There the female lays 2 pinkish eggs with purple streaks and spots, which are incubated by both sexes for 12-13 days. The chicks are cared for by both parents and fledge 11-13 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as fairly common to common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Brown-bellied antwren

Myrmotherula gutturalis

Photo by Marc Chretien (Oiseaux)

Common name:

brown-bellied antwren (en); choquinha-de-barriga-parda (pt); myrmidon à ventre brun (fr); hormiguerito ventripardo (es); braunbauch-ameisenschlüpfer (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Thamnophilidae

Range:

This South American species is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Size:

Brown-bellied antwrens are 9-11 cm long and weigh 9-10 g.

Habitat:

These birds are found in tropical and subtropical moist lowland forests, generally preferring the denser areas of the understorey and areas of lower canopy. They are found from sea level up to an altitude of 1.000 m.

Diet:

Brown-bellied antwrens forage at the middle-level of the forest, gleaning insects from the vegetation.

Breeding:

They build a domed or oven shaped nest with twigs and leafs, placing it low above ground in a dense bush in dry land forest. The female lays 2 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 11 days. The chicks are raised by both parents and fledge 10-11 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

The brown-bellied antwren has a very large breeding range and is described as fairly common. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.