Thrush-like Antpitta
Myrmothera campanisona
Common, but shy and rarely seen bird of lowland rainforests, especially those with a moderate amount of disturbance. Identifiable by plump, tailless shape and plain appearance. Hops on the ground searching for insects in leaf litter. Sings from low perches, often in impenetrable vegetation in large, old treefall gaps. Song a low, far-carrying series of cooing notes on one pitch. Similar to Tepui Antpitta but does not overlap in elevation; song slightly different.
Taxonomy
The thrush-like antpitta was described in 1778 by the French polymath Comte de Buffon in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. Buffon used the French name "Le grand Béfroi". A hand-colour engraving was published separately to accompany Buffon's description. Buffon did not introduce scientific names but 1783 the French naturalist Johann Hermann coined the binomial name Myrmornin campanisonam for Buffon's bird. The specific epithet campanisona combines the Late Latin campana meaning "bell" with the Latin sonus meaning "sounding". The thrush-like antpitta is now placed in the genus Myrmothera that was introduced in 1816 by Louis Pierre Vieillot.
- Scientific name
- Myrmothera campanisona
- Authority
- (Hermann, 1783)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Grallariidae
- Genus
- Myrmothera
Range and habitat
It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. In 2018, the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society split one subspecies as Tapajos antpitta (Mymothera subcanescens). Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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