Bird Watching Blog

Blackthroated antbird

Myrmeciza atrothorax

TAXONOMY

Myrmeciza atrothorax Boddaert, 1783. OTHER COMMON NAMES

French: Alapi de Buffon; German: Pechbrust-Ameisenvogel; Spanish: Hormiguero de Garganta Negra.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

5.5 in (14 cm), with a black iris and moderately long tail. DISTRIBUTION

Amazonian region of northern South America, including southern Venezuela, Guyana, southeastern Colombia, northeastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and widely in Amazonian Brazil.

HABITAT

Below 1,600 ft (500 m) in dense undergrowth vegetation of the borders of humid tropical forest, secondary forest, and savanna woodland, usually in the vicinity of wet areas.

BEHAVIOR

Nonmigratory pairs defend a breeding territory. May forage in larger groups. Song of males is a rapid, high-pitched series of notes.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Glean insects and other arthropods from foliage in dense vegetation close to the ground.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Monogamous pairs bond for life, typically lay two eggs, and share incubation and care of nestlings and fledglings.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened. Widespread and relatively abundant.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

No direct significance, except for the indirect economic benefits of bird-watching and ecotourism. ♦