Rufous-backed Antvireo
Dysithamnus xanthopterus
Big headed antbird with a heavy hooked bill and a shortish tail. Rufous above and pale below with a gray neck and face dappled with white spots. Males have a dark gray cap, rufous in females. The song is a loud and fast descending series of trembling notes. Found in the upper to middle levels of humid forests, usually with mixed-species flocks.
Identification
The rufous-backed antvireo is about 12 cm (4.7 in) long. Adult males have a gray forehead, crown, nape, and upper back; their forehead, upper sides of the face, and lores have white spots. Their rest of their upperparts, wings, and tail are rufous. The center of their throat is white. Most of their underparts are pale gray (that is almost white on the belly) and their flanks are ochraceous. Adult females have a rufous crown and the spots on their face are pale buff. Most of their underparts are also pale buff, with pale olivaceous sides and flanks.
Taxonomy
The rufous-backed antvireo is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Dysithamnus xanthopterus
- Authority
- Burmeister, 1856
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thamnophilidae
- Genus
- Dysithamnus
Range and habitat
The rufous-backed antvireo is found in southeastern Brazil's coastal mountains, primarily between Rio de Janeiro and Paraná states. Since 2013 there have been scattered records from further south in Santa Catarina. The species inhabits the mid-storey to the subcanopy of montane evergreen forest and mature secondary forest. In elevation it ranges between 750 and 1,700 m (2,500 and 5,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The rufous-backed antvireo is thought to be a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The rufous-backed antvireo feeds mostly on insects and its diet also includes other arthropods and the berries of Rapanea mistletoe. It usually forages singly or in pairs, and frequently as part of a mixed-species feeding flock. It typically feeds between about 3 and 12 m (10 and 40 ft) above the ground, especially in the outer parts of trees, in the tops of bamboo, and in woody vine tangles. It feeds mostly with short sallies to snatch prey from overhanging leaves. It also gleans by reaching or lunging while perched. It has not been observed following army ants.<p>The rufous-backed antwren's breeding season appears to span from September to February. Its only known nest was an open cup of plant fibers thickly covered with moss placed in a branch fork 1.8 m (6 ft) above the ground. It held two eggs. The incubation period, time to fledging, and details of parental care are not known.<p>The rufous-backed antwren's song is a "very high, rapid series of a descending, shivering, whistled rattle". It calls include "a short, low-pitched muffled note...sounding like 'quock' " and "a short, harsh bark".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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