Ocellated antbird | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Thamnophilidae |
Genus: | Phaenostictus Ridgway, 1909 |
Species: | P. mcleannani |
Binomial name | |
Phaenostictus mcleannani (Lawrence, 1860) | |
The ocellated antbird (Phaenostictus mcleannani) is a species of antbird in the family Thamnophilidae. It is monotypic within the genus Phaenostictus and is found in southern Central America and the northwestern part of South America. Its natural habitat is the understory of tropical moist lowland forest, foothill forest, and tall secondary growth woodlands.
The species is 19 cm long and weighs around 50 g. The eye is surrounded by a large area of bare blue coloured skin. The plumage varies slightly amongst the three subspecies, but overall it has a grey crown, black throat with a buff breast changing into a spotted belly and back.
The bird feeds primarily on insects, arthropods, and sometimes on small lizards. Most of its prey is obtained from trails of army ants, which flush the prey from hiding places. One such army ant species is Eciton burchellii . The ocellated antbird is considered an obligate follower of army ants, seldom foraging away from swarms. Amongst the species of antbirds and other army ant followers (such as tanagers and woodcreepers) it is usually a dominant species.
The social biology of this species is unusual for the antbird family. The breeding pair form the nucleus of a group or clan that includes their male offspring and their mates. These clans work together to defend territories against rivals. The open nest cup was only recently described, with a clutch of two eggs. [2]
The ocellated antbird was formally described in 1861 by the American amateur ornithologist George Newbold Lawrence and given the binomial name Phlogopsis mcleannani (misspelled as Meleannani). The specific epithet honours James McLeannan, a railway engineer on the Panama Canal Railway, who had collected the specimen in Panama. [3] The ocellated antbird is now placed in the genus Phaenostictus that was erected in 1909 by the American ornithologist Robert Ridgway. [4] The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek phainō meaning "to display" and stiktos for "spotted". [5] Ridgway considered that the species was related to the genus Phlegopsis (the bare-eyes) but that it differed in having a longer tail, rounded nostrils and a few other characters. [4]
Molecular phylogenetic studies of the antbird family, Thamnophilidae, have found that the ocellated antbird sits in the tribe Pithyini and its closest relatives are found in the genus Pithys . [6]
Three subspecies have been described: [7]
The ocellated antbird is a medium-sized antbird, measuring 19 to 19.5 cm (7.5–7.7 in) [7] and weighing 44–58 g (1.6–2.0 oz). Females tend to be slightly smaller than males and weigh slightly less. [8] The plumage and bare parts of the male and female are the same. The eye is surrounded by a large bare blue patch of skin. The head and throat is black with a grey crown and a rufous nape . The upperparts and wing coverts are olive brown with black spots. The rest of the feathers of the wing are black edged with olive. The breast is rufous and belly is olive brown, both have large black spots. The bill is large and black. Juvenile birds have a darker crown, the rufous areas are brighter and the spots are reduced or absent. [7] The species conforms with Bergmann's rule, with birds closer to the Equator having smaller wings and bills than those further away. [8]
The ocellated antbird ranges from Honduras to Ecuador. The race saturatus is found from northern and eastern Honduras through eastern Nicaragua, eastern and northern Costa Rica into the west of Panama. The nominate race is found in the rest of Panama and the Pacific slope as the Andean slope of western Colombia. The race pacificus is found in the extreme south of coastal Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. [7]
The ocellated antbird is a rainforest bird, being found in lowland and hill primary rainforest, as well as secondary forest. Within this habitat it occupies the understory of the forest, feeding and living close to the forest floor. It is found from sea-level up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in Costa Rica, but only up as high as 900 m (3,000 ft) in Panama and Colombia and 700 m (2,300 ft) in Ecuador; it is more commonly found below 400 m (1,300 ft) in the later country. [7] They seldom enter or cross open areas, unless the ants that they are following do so. [9]
The antbirds are a large passerine bird family, Thamnophilidae, found across subtropical and tropical Central and South America, from Mexico to Argentina. There are more than 230 species, known variously as antshrikes, antwrens, antvireos, fire-eyes, bare-eyes and bushbirds. They are related to the antthrushes and antpittas, the tapaculos, the gnateaters and the ovenbirds. Despite some species' common names, this family is not closely related to the wrens, vireos or shrikes.
The white-bellied antbird, is a passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from Panama to northern Brazil and in Trinidad. It is also called Swainson's antcatcher after William John Swainson, who first described it scientifically. The genus is monotypic.
The russet antshrike is a passerine bird in subfamily Myrmornithinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Mexico, every Central American country except El Salvador, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and possibly Peru.
The dusky antbird or tyrannine antbird is a passerine bird in the antbird family. It is a resident breeder in tropical Central and South America from southeastern Mexico southwards to western Ecuador, and Amazonian Brazil.
The chestnut-backed antbird is a passerine bird in the antbird family. It is found in humid forests in Central and South America (Chocó-Magdalena), ranging from eastern Nicaragua to western Ecuador. It mainly occurs in lowlands up to an altitude of 900 metres (3,000 ft) m, but locally it occurs higher.
The fasciated antshrike is a species of bird in the antbird family Thamnophilidae. The species is found in Central and Southern America.
The bicolored antbird is a species of bird in the family Thamnophilidae. It is found in Honduras south to Panama, western Colombia and Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.
The black-throated antbird is a species of passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The northern chestnut-tailed antbird is a species of bird in the family Thamnophilidae. It is found in the Amazon Rainforest in northeastern Peru and far eastern Ecuador.
The blue-lored antbird is a species of antbird in the family Thamnophilidae. It is found at low levels in humid Andean forests in western and northern Colombia, western Venezuela. It formerly included the Zeledon's antbird as a subspecies. The blue-lored antbird feeds on insects, and regularly follows swarms of army ants in order to catch prey flushed by the swarms, but it is not an obligate ant-follower like some species of antbirds. The blue-lored antbird is strongly sexually dichromatic: the male has an entirely black plumage, while the female has a rufous-brown plumage and a black mask. Both sexes have a blue patch of skin around the eyes.
The stripe-backed antbird is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.
The wing-banded antbird is a species of passerine bird in subfamily Myrmornithinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The rufous-tailed stipplethroat, formerly called the rufous-tailed antwren, is a species of insectivorous bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The rufous-backed stipplethroat is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. In its complex taxonomic history, Epinecrophylla haematonota has also been called the rufous-backed antwren, stipple-throated antwren, Napo stipple-throated antwren, and western stipple-throated antwren.
The black-spotted bare-eye is a species of insectivore passerine bird in the antbird family Thamnophilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The white-plumed antbird is a small species of insectivorous bird found in the understories of rainforests. It is smaller than most species of its family (Thamnophilidae), weighing 26 grams on average. The family Thamnophilidae is known commonly as the antbirds, as they use the presence of ants to locate food. This species is largely solitary except during the breeding season, and different individuals will follow individual ant swarms.
The hairy-crested antbird is a species of bird in the family Thamnophilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Myrmelastes is a genus of passerine birds in the family Thamnophilidae. Most of these species were previously placed in the genus Schistocichla. The genus formerly included only three species, but several taxa previously considered subspecies of the spot-winged antbird have been elevated to species status.
The rufous-rumped antwren is a species of bird in subfamily Euchrepomidinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Zeledon's antbird is a species of antbird in the family Thamnophilidae. It is found at low levels in humid forests from Nicaragua to Panama, and in the Chocó of western Colombia and western Ecuador. Zeledon's antbird feeds on insects, and regularly follows swarms of army ants in order to catch prey flushed by the swarms, but it is not an obligate ant-follower like some species of antbirds.