Mayan Antthrush
Formicarius moniliger
Elusive inhabitant of humid tropical lowlands and foothills from Veracruz to Honduras. Dark brown and gray overall with pale bluish eyering, darker throat, and rusty rump. Walks jerkily like a small chicken (not like a thrush) on the shady forest floor, holding its tail cocked and tossing leaves with its bill. Can be very difficult to see. Listen for distinctive loud series of piping whistles that drops in pitch.
Identification
Elusive inhabitant of humid tropical lowlands and foothills from Veracruz to Honduras. Dark brown and gray overall with pale bluish eyering, darker throat, and rusty rump. Walks jerkily like a small chicken (not like a thrush) on the shady forest floor, holding its tail cocked and tossing leaves with its bill. Can be very difficult to see. Listen for distinctive loud series of piping whistles that drops in pitch.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Formicarius moniliger
- Authority
- Sclater, PL, 1857
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Formicariidae
- Genus
- Formicarius
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Reddish-brown wren with a faint pale eyebrow found in the understory of humid montane forest. Larger and longer-tailed than the tiny Mountain Wren, which also has a bolder eyebrow. Replaced at the northern end of its range by the very similar Peruvian Wren. Forages singly or in pairs low in bushes and near the ground. Listen for its loud song, a flowing series of whistles and trills.
Blackish-headed Spinetail
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An uncommon spinetail found in dry forest in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru; threatened by habitat loss. Plumage is gray with a darker face and throat, rusty wings, and a long, grayish tail. Skulks in dense tangles in the forest understory, where it is usually quite hard to see well, and sometimes hops around on the ground. Most common vocalization is a short, rising trill repeated every few seconds.
Straight-billed Earthcreeper
Ochetorhynchus ruficaudus
Perky little bird of rocky slopes and valleys in Andes, often in areas with low bushes and scrubby trees. Nests in holes in banks. Found singly or in pairs and at times curious and confiding. Runs well on ground with long rusty tail strongly cocked up. Identified by rather long, overall straight bill, whitish bib, and rusty streaking on belly. Has a longer bill than the superficially similar, but smaller canasteros.
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