Spotted Antbird
Hylophylax naevioides
Stunning antbird, small and boldly patterned. Rotund and short-tailed. Male has white belly with band of black spots across chest, gray head, and rufous back. Female more washed out, but similar pattern. Usually seen singly or in pairs in understory of forest, often following a mixed flock or army ant swarm. Stuttered song is a series of slightly wheezy whistles, descending in pitch.
Identification
A smallish bird, measuring 11 cm (4.3 in) and weighing 16–19.5 g (0.56–0.69 oz). The male spotted antbird's plumage is a distinctive combination of a necklace of large black spots on a white chest, chestnut back, grey head, and black throat. The female is a duller version of the male, but also distinctive with large chest spots and two wide buffy wing-bars.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Hylophylax naevioides
- Authority
- (Lafresnaye, 1847)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thamnophilidae
- Genus
- Hylophylax
Range and habitat
Forages as individuals or pairs in lower levels of mature, humid forests. Found in lowlands and foothills up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Spotted antbirds are known to follow army ant swarms to catch insects and other small animals trying to flee. They eat spiders, scorpions, cockroaches, katydids, crickets, centipedes, sowbugs, moths, beetles, caterpillars, ants, bristletails and, on occasion, lizards and frogs.<p>This bird is an open-cup nesting species that lays an average clutch of 2 maroon-splotched white eggs, which both adults incubate. The nestling period is 11 days.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Striped Wren-Babbler
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Brown-and-white terrestrial babbler that scuttles around in the leaf litter like a rodent. Note lightly speckled black crown, white face and underparts, and rusty-orange stain on the forehead. Favors wetter forests, ranging from lowlands up into submontane areas. Gives short haunting whistles, either singly or in series.
Olive-capped Warbler
Setophaga pityophila
A lively small inhabitant of pine woodlands, typically found fairly high in trees. Similar to Bahama Warbler and Yellow-throated Warbler at first glance, but Olive-capped Warbler has a bright yellow-olive forehead and lacks the bold white eyebrow of those species. Also distinctive is the Olive-capped's dense, dark streaking that is restricted to the sides of the lowermost chest. Its song consists of several sweet notes on one pitch followed by several at a lower pitch; sometimes ending with a single note on original pitch. Call notes include one that is high and sharp and another that is sweet and slightly squeaky.
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