Gray Antbird
Cercomacra cinerascens
Slender, long-tailed antbird of rainforest midstory. One of the most common antbirds in Amazonian rainforest, and can be found around forest edges and dense secondary growth as well as in more mature rainforest. Prefers vine tangles in the subcanopy, and can be very hard to see as they forage in dense, high vegetation. Males are gray with white wing bars; females are grayish brown with white wing bars. Both sexes have bold white spots on the underside of the tail. Its song is one of the most frequently heard sounds in Amazonia, a slow bouncing “erk, CHAT, erk, CHAT, …”
Taxonomy
The grey antbird was described by the English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1857 from a specimen obtained near the Rio Napo in Ecuador. He coined the binomial name Formicivora cinerascens. The specific epithet is Late Latin meaning "ashen". This antbird is now placed in the genus Cercomacra that was introduced by Sclater in 1858.<p>Four subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Cercomacra cinerascens
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL, 1857)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thamnophilidae
- Genus
- Cercomacra
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black-crested Tit-Tyrant
Anairetes nigrocristatus
Beautiful little flycatcher with a spiky crest found in the Andes of northern Peru, just barely reaching over the border into southern Ecuador. Male is quite distinctive with a solid black face, black-and-white streaking, and a long crest that sticks up in front of its white crown. Female and immature are grayer with less contrasting plumage and shorter crest; the orange bill might lead to confusion with Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, but Black-crested lacks brown on the back and yellow on the belly. Very similar to Pied-crested Tit-Tyrant, but Black-crested has broader white tips to the tail; also note its more northern range. Inhabits scrub and light woodland, often giving squeaks and rapid trills.
Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird
Chrysuronia lilliae
Rare, endangered, and poorly known hummingbird restricted to mangroves and adjacent scrubby areas along the Colombian coast. Male has sapphire underparts extending from throat all the way to belly, and lacks the distinct hood typical of the more common Sapphire-throated Hummingbird. Female’s plumage is not known with certainty, but likely resembles female Sapphire-throated Hummingbird, which has white central underparts bordered by green flanks, and white tail tips.
Aldabra Drongo
Dicrurus aldabranus
Bold, black fork-tailed bird with a red eye. There is sometimes but not always a tuft of long feathers above the bill. Juveniles have an unusual pale-gray plumage, but still show the forked tail. Found in all habitats with bushes and trees on the remote Seychelles island of Aldabra, including forest, mangroves, and thick scrub. Perches prominently in the open, swooping out to catch insects on the wing. Often follows Madagascar Coucals and Aldabra Giant Tortoises, feeding on insects that they disturb. Song is a repeated sequence of whistles, creaks, and rasps.
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