Plumbeous Antbird
Myrmelastes hyperythrus
Large, short-tailed antbird of floodplain forest understory. Both sexes largely gray with a bare blue skin patch around the eye and a prominent white spots on the shoulder. Females are particularly distinctive with extensive orange underparts. Forages singly or in pairs in dense undergrowth, like heliconias and streamside vegetation. Song is a chortling accelerating trill.
Identification
The plumbeous antbird is 17 cm (6.7 in) in length. The male is slaty gray with blackish-gray wings and tail. The wing coverts have conspicuous white spots. Each eye is surrounded by an extensive patch of light blue skin. The female has similar upperparts including the white spots on each wing but is bright orange-rufous below.<p>The spot-winged antbird (Myrmelastes leucostigma) and the slate-colored antbird (Myrmelastes schistaceus) lack the light blue periorbital skin patches, the white-shouldered antbird (Akletos melanoceps) and the sooty antbird (Hafferia fortis) are blacker than the plumbeous antbird and lack the white spots on the wing.
Taxonomy
The plumbeous antbird was described by the English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1855 and given the binomial name Thamnophilus hyperythrus. The specific name combines the Ancient Greek words hupo "beneath" and eruthros "red". Alternatively, the name may be from the Greek word huperuthros for "reddish". The current genus Myrmelastes was introduced by Sclater in 1858 with the plumbeous antbird as the type species.
- Scientific name
- Myrmelastes hyperythrus
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL, 1855)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thamnophilidae
- Genus
- Myrmelastes
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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White-billed Buffalo-Weaver
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A big, bulky, long-tailed black weaver. The bill is white in males and black in females. There is a white patch on the front edge of the shoulder, and also a pale patch in the wing that can be conspicuous in flight. Immatures are dark brown with heavy streaking below. Found in dry savanna and woodland, often in flocks. Builds huge communal stick nests. Similar to Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver, but never shows a red bill. The common call is a harsh “sjet” that is often given repeatedly by a whole group in chorus.
Slender-billed Weaver
Ploceus pelzelni
Miniscule yellow weaver with an unusually long and slender bill. Breeding males have a clean black face mask and yellow underparts. Females have a clean, pale-yellow head, unlike other weavers. Found in wetland habitats including swamps, marshes, and mangroves, and sometimes in adjacent savanna or scrub. Usually in pairs or small groups; not as social as some weavers. Vocalizations are typical of weavers: “chet” notes and a sizzling, “radio static” song. Most similar to Little Weaver, but found in different habitat, and has a much longer bill. Separated from all other weavers by its small size and bill shape.
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