| White-bellied antbird | |
|---|---|
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| Male near Morne La Croix, Trinidad | |
_-_Hembra_(14413028109).jpg) | |
| Female | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Thamnophilidae |
| Genus: | Myrmeciza G.R. Gray, 1841 |
| Species: | M. longipes |
| Binomial name | |
| Myrmeciza longipes (Swainson, 1825) | |
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Thewhite-bellied antbird (Myrmeciza longipes), is apasserinebird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of familyThamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found inPanama, onTrinidad, and across northernSouth America.[2] It is also calledSwainson's antcatcher (usually in historical sources) afterWilliam Swainson, who first described it scientifically.[citation needed]
The white-bellied antbird wasdescribed by the English naturalistWilliam Swainson in 1825 and given thebinomial nameDrymophila longipes.[3] It was moved to genusMyrmeciza in 1841 by the English zoologistGeorge Robert Gray with it as thetype species.[4] The genus formerly included more than 20 species. Amolecular phylogenetic study published in 2013 found thatMyrmeciza, as then defined, waspolyphyletic. In the resulting rearrangement to createmonophyletic genera, most of the species then inMyrmeciza were moved to 12 other genera leaving the white-bellied antbird as only the only member of the genus.[5][2]
The nameMyrmeciza derives from theGreek "myrmeco-" (ant) and "-izo" (ambush). Thespecific epithet also comes from Greek, "longi-" (long) and "-pes" (foot). Both are somewhat inaccurate, as the species is not anobligatearmy ant follower, does not specialize in eating ants, and does not have unusually long legs.[6]
The white-bellied antbird has these four subspecies:[2]
Some authors have suggested that some of the subspecies warrant treatment as full species.[7]
The white-bellied antbird is about 15 cm (5.9 in) long and weighs an average of about 28 g (0.99 oz). Adult males of thenominate subspeciesM. l. longipes have a cinnamon rufous crown, upperparts, wings, and tail. They have a hidden white patch between theirscapulars. Their lesser wingcoverts have white or pale buff edges and sometimes cinnamon tips. The sides of their head, their throat, and their upper breast are black and bordered with slate gray. Their lower breast and belly are white, their flanks tawny or buffy, and their undertail coverts tawny. Adult females have similar upperparts to males with the addition of black bars near the end of their wing coverts. The sides of their head are dark brown. Their chin is white, their throat and upper breast ochraceous buff, their lower breast and belly white, their flanks ochraceous buff, and their undertail coverts tawny ochraceous. Both sexes' legs and feet are pinkish gray.[6][8][9]
Males of subspeciesM. l. panamensis have more black and less white on their underparts than the nominate.M. l. boucardi males have a gray crown; females are richer ochraceous on their throat and breast than the nominate.M. l. griseipectus males have black extending only slightly onto their breast and also large black spots on their wing coverts. Females have more white on their belly than the nominate.[6][8][9][10][11][excessive citations]
The white-bellied antbird has adisjunct distribution. The subspecies are found thus:[6][8][9][10][11][12][excessive citations]
The white-bellied antbird primarily inhabits the floor and understorey of moderately humidsemi-deciduous forest. It also occurs in deciduous forest, small tracts of more humid rainforest,gallery forest, and shrubbysecondary forest. In elevation it reaches 500 m (1,600 ft) in Panama, 1,800 m (5,900 ft) in Colombia, 1,300 m (4,300 ft) in Venezuela, and 700 m (2,300 ft) in Brazil.[6][8][9][10][11][12][excessive citations]
The white-bellied antbird is a year-round resident throughout its range.[12]
The white-bellied antbird feeds on a variety of insects and probably also spiders. Individuals, pairs, and family groups forage in dense vegetation mostly on the ground and also up to about 1 m (3 ft) above it. It captures prey by tossing aside and picking fromleaf litter, by reaching toglean vegetation, or by jumping up to the underside of overhanging vegetation. It regularly follows army ant swarms but is not dependent on them. It seldom joinsmixed-species feeding flocks.[6][8][9]
The white-bellied antbird's breeding season has not been fully defined and appears to vary geographically, but it overall spans at least March to June. It builds a cup nest of twigs and rootlets lined with finer fibers. Its clutch size appears to be two eggs; they are white to creamy white with brown, lilac, or purple markings.[6]
| Songs and calls |
The male white-bellied antbird's song is "a bright, ringing crescendo of 15-25 loud, rapidjeer notes...descending, trailing off, and ending in a fewchew notes on [the] same pitch".[8] Females sing a similar though shorter song.[6] The species' calls include "a short, liquid rattle" and a "long...thin, downslurred whistle, sometimes abbreviated".[6]
TheIUCN has assessed the white-bellied antbird as being of Least Concern. It has a large range and an estimated population of at least 500,000 mature individuals. Its population is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] It is considered fairly common to common across its range, which includes "numerous parks and reserves in nearly every country".[6]
