Yellow-throated Antwren
Myrmotherula ambigua
Tiny antwren, heavily streaked with black and white above, solid yellow below. Females have a tawny-colored head. Note the two white wingbars. Inhabits the canopy and subcanopy of humid forest, including white sand forest; almost always associated with mixed-species flocks. The song is a monotonous repetition of “pew-pew” notes. The similar male of Pygmy Antwren has a white throat, while females are inseparable.
Identification
The yellow-throated antwren is 8 to 8.5 cm (3.1 to 3.3 in) long and weighs 7 to 8 g (0.25 to 0.28 oz). It is a smallish bird with a short tail. Adult males have a black and white streaked face and neck with whitish cheeks. Their crown and back are black with white streaks; their rump is grayish. They have a light yellow patch between the shoulders. Their tail is black with white edges and tips to the feathers. Their wings are black with wide white edges on the coverts and narrower white edges on the flight feathers. Their underparts are light yellow with some black streaks on the side. Adult females have tawny-buff to buff streaks (not white) on the face, head, and upperparts. They do not have the male's patch between the shoulders. Their underparts tend to tawny-buff to buff.
Taxonomy
The yellow-throated antwren is monotypic. It and Sclater's antwren (M. sclateri]] form a superspecies. The species' original author considered them likely to be conspecific but that treatment has not gained acceptance.
- Scientific name
- Myrmotherula ambigua
- Authority
- Zimmer, JT, 1932
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thamnophilidae
- Genus
- Myrmotherula
Range and habitat
The yellow-throated antwren is found in southwestern Venezuela's Amazonas state, in extreme eastern Colombia's Guainía and Vaupés departments, and in Brazil in the upper basin of the Rio Negro. It inhabits the subcanopy and canopy of lowland evergreen forests of several types, typically those on white sand soil to mixed soils. In elevation it mostly occurs below 350 m (1,100 ft), though only to 200 m (700 ft) in Colombia and occasionally as high as about 1,100 m (3,600 ft) on tepuis.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Arremonops conirostris
Chunky sparrow with gray body, green back, and black stripes on head. Told apart from other sparrows and brush-finches by head pattern. Sexes alike. Found singly or in pairs in tangles and thickets, usually at forest edge or in shrubby second growth. Listen for loud sweet calls and accelerating song.
Starred Wood-Quail
Odontophorus stellatus
Rotund brown bird of lowland rainforest understory. Reddish brown with small gray spots. Males have a dull red and gray facial pattern. Usually found in groups, but occasionally encountered singly or in pairs. Secretive and hard to see, but occasionally encountered foraging on the ground or flushing underfoot. Frequently heard after dusk and more rarely just before dawn, when pairs or groups sing in symphony, a series of continuous low caroling notes.
Black-capped Piprites
Piprites pileata
Small and chunky manakin-like flycatcher with a short bill and big eyes. Mostly rusty with a black crown, a yellow bill, and yellow-edged flight feathers. Males have a cinnamon back, which is olive-green in females. Found in the canopy and subcanopy of montane forests where it normally accompanies mixed-species flocks. The song is a fast sequence of “chik, chik, cheeut, chee-unhh” notes.
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