Plain-winged Antwren
Myrmotherula behni
Small, rare antbird found in lush cloud forest along the east slope of the Andes and in the tepui region of Venezuela, Guyana, and extreme northern Brazil. Male is dark gray with black throat and breast; extent of black is geographically variable. Female is brown with a pale throat. Similar to Slaty Antwren but lacks wing markings. Inhabits forest understory, where often encountered with mixed-species flocks. Song is a series of four to ten soft whistles.
Identification
The plain-winged antwren is 9 to 9.5 cm (3.5 to 3.7 in) long; one female weighed 7.9 g (0.28 oz). It is a smallish bird with a short tail. Adult males of the nominate subspecies M. b. behni are almost entirely gray, with lighter underparts than upperparts. Their chin and the center of their throat and upper breast are black. Adult females have olivaceous brown upperparts with a grayish tinge on the crown and nape and a somewhat duskier tail. Their wings are olivaceous brown. Their throat is whitish and the rest of their underparts olive-buff.<p>Males of subspecies M. b. yavii are darker than the nominate. Females have dark olive-buff flanks and crissum. Males of subspecies M. b. camanii are intermediate between the nominate and yavii. Females have somewhat less brown underparts than the nominate. Subspecies M. b. inornata is larger than the nominate. Males are darker with a wider black area on the throat. Females have rufescent brown upperparts and an olivaceous brown crissum.
Taxonomy
The plain-winged antwren has these four subspecies:<p>The plain-winged antwren, the Alagoas antwren (M. snowi), the unicolored antwren (M. unicolor), and the Yungas antwren (M. grisea) appear to form a monophyletic group with similar vocalizations and habitat requirements.<p>The plain-winged antwren's specific epithet honors Wilhelm Friedrich Georg Behn.
- Scientific name
- Myrmotherula behni
- Authority
- Berlepsch & Leverkühn, 1890
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thamnophilidae
- Genus
- Myrmotherula
Range and habitat
The plain-winged antwren has a highly disjunct distribution. The subspecies are found thus:<p>The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society has undocumented sight records, presumably of M. b. inornata, in Suriname, and treats the plain-winged antwren as hypothetical in that country. <p>The plain-winged antwren inhabits the understorey to mid-storey of foothill and lower montane evergreen forest. In Ecuador it appears to favor damp ravines with stands of Guadua bamboo. In Venezuela and Brazil it ranges between elevations of 1,000 and 1,850 m (3,300 and 6,100 ft), in Colombia between 1,200 and 1,800 m (3,900 and 5,900 ft), and in Ecuador mostly between 800 and 1,600 m (2,600 and 5,200 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The plain-winged antwren is believed to be a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The plain-winged antwren's diet is not known in detail but is probably mostly mostly insects and spiders. It forages singly, in pairs, or in family groups, and almost always as part of a mixed-species feeding flock. It feeds mostly between about 1 and 3 m (3 and 10 ft) above the ground where the understorey is dense, and between 4 and 10 m (10 and 30 ft) where it is more open. It actively seeks prey especially among dead leaves and also from live leaves, stems, and branches, mostly by reaching, hanging, lunging, and occasionally by fluttering out from a perch.<p>Nothing is known about the plain-winged antwren's breeding biology.<p>The plain-winged antwren's song is a "series of high, simple, slightly downslurred 'tiuw' notes". Its calls include "a sharp 'sweeík' and a more nasal 'kyunh' ".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Paramo Seedeater
Catamenia homochroa
This rare seedeater is most often found around bamboo at the scrubby edge of temperate zone forest, up to near treeline in the Andes. Disjunct populations are also found in the Santa Marta Mountains in Colombia and the Venezuelan tepuis. The male is dark slaty gray with a blacker face, a contrasting pale pinkish bill, and rufous undertail coverts. Females are paler and browner than males, with dark streaks on the back. Note the warmer rufous undertail coverts and pale bill on females. Can be found singly, in pairs, or small groups, occasionally following a mixed-species flock through the understory. Compare with Plain-colored Seedeater, which is often found in more open grassy habitats.
Southern Hill Myna
Gracula indica
Glossy black myna of southern India and Sri Lanka. Note white wing patches, bright orange bill, and yellow head wattles. Inhabits foothill forests, where it is most often encountered high up in the canopy in pairs or small flocks. Gives various croaks and screams, but is less vocally accomplished than the very similar Common Hill Myna, which does not overlap in range.
Canada Warbler
Cardellina canadensis
Spiffy warbler found in boggy areas. Blue-gray above and yellow below with distinctive yellow spectacles and necklace of black streaks. Legs are pale orange. Females show fainter necklace than males. Typically found in low vegetation, especially wet woods and thickets. Nests on the ground. Feeds on insects. One of the longest-distance migrant warblers; winters in South America.
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