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
Other Birds
Scarlet-crowned Barbet
Capito aurovirens
Fairly common in riverine and varzea forest of western Amazonia. A fairly large barbet with typical stout bill. Distinctive plumage: mostly brown with orange breast and red crown (whitish or buffy on female). Unlikely to be confused with other barbets. Look for pairs in the canopy, often feeding in a fruiting tree or perched quietly on an open branch. Listen for froglike trilled notes, repeated in a series.
Dusky Lory
Chalcopsitta fuscata
Fairly large lory of lowlands and foothill forest and edge. Mainly dark plumage, with 2 obvious bands across the chest and a red bill. Coloration varies from yellow to red. In flight, bright yellow patch in the wing is highly visible. Distinctive fast and straight flight. Often seen flying high in large flocks. Somewhat similar to Black, Brown and Yellow-streaked Lories, but Dusky has a red rather than black bill and different flight. Coconut Lorikeet shows bright red in the fore wing. Very vocal. Noisy, high-pitch, ringing screeches.
Channel-billed Toucan
Ramphastos vitellinus
Large toucan, widespread across South American lowlands. Mostly black with a dark bill (although some populations have a yellow ridge on top of the bill). Significant plumage variation across range: throat color varies from white to orange; bare skin around eye varies from blue to red. In the western part of its range, appearance is very similar to White-throated Toucan, but note voice: a grating croak, not a clear yelp. Singles, pairs, or small flocks are found in the forest canopy, often around fruiting trees. Named for the groove along the upper part of the bill, which is difficult to see in the field.
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