Plumbeous antbird

Not to be confused with plumbeous antvireo.

Plumbeous antbird
Male
Female
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Thamnophilidae
Genus:	Myrmelastes
Species:	M. hyperythrus
Binomial name
Myrmelastes hyperythrus (Sclater, PL, 1855)
Synonyms
Myrmeciza hyperythra

The plumbeous antbird (Myrmelastes hyperythrus) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". ^[2] It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. ^[3]

Taxonomy and systematics

The plumbeous antbird was described by the English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1855 and given the binomial name Thamnophilus hyperythrus. ^{[4] [5]} 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". ^[6] The current genus Myrmelastes was introduced by Sclater in 1858 with the plumbeous antbird as the type species. ^[7] This placement was confirmed by a genetic study published in 2013. ^[8]

The plumbeous antbird is monotypic. ^[2]

Description

The plumbeous antbird is 17 to 18 cm (6.7 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 38 to 44 g (1.3 to 1.6 oz). Males are mostly dark slaty gray. Their wings and tail are blackish gray with white spots at the tips of the wing coverts. They have a large area of bare light blue skin around their eye. Females have dark slaty gray upperparts, wings, and tail like males. Their underparts are bright rufous with a brown tinge on their flanks and crissum. ^{[9] [10] [11] [12] [13]}

Distribution and habitat

The plumbeous antbird is found in the western Amazon Basin. It ranges from Caquetá Department in southern Colombia and Sucumbíos and Orellana provinces in northeastern Ecuador south through eastern Peru into northwestern Bolivia and east in Brazil to the basin of the Purus River. It inhabits the floor and understorey of evergreen forest. It favors the interior of várzea where tree falls create openings, but also occurs in transitional forest and along small watercourses and oxbow lakes. In elevation it reaches 500 m (1,600 ft) in Colombia and 300 m (1,000 ft) in Ecuador. It Peru it mostly occurs below 500 m (1,600 ft) but locally is found as high as 800 m (2,600 ft). ^{[9] [10] [11] [12] [13]}

Behavior

Movement

The plumbeous antbird is believed to be a year-round resident throughout its range. ^[9]

Feeding

The plumbeous antbird's diet has not been detailed but is known to include insects, other arthropods, and snails. It forages as individuals, pairs, and small family groups and mostly within about 3 m (10 ft) of the ground and usually not with mixed-species feeding flocks. They hop along the ground and among low branches, and take prey mostly by picking from leaf litter and by reaching to leaves and twigs from the ground or a low perch. They occasionally attend army ant swarms to capture prey disturbed by the ants. ^{[9] [10] [11] [12]}

Breeding

The plumbeous antbird's breeding season appears to vary geographically. In Ecuador it could span as much as from April to December; in Peru it includes March and October and in Brazil August. ^[9] Its nest was first described in 2003 based on two nests found in Manú National Park, Peru. The open cup-shaped nests were suspended 0.7 m (2 ft) and 1.0 m (3 ft) above the ground. They were constructed of black rhizomorphs and covered in dry leaves attached with spider silk. Each nest contained two eggs. These had a pinkish white background which was almost completely covered with dark purplish-red streaks. The first nest measured 23 mm × 17 mm (0.91 in × 0.67 in) and the second 24 mm × 20 mm (0.94 in × 0.79 in). ^[14] A nest in Brazil was similarly woven of blackish brown rootlets and hung about 1 m (3 ft) above the ground in spiny palms. The incubation period, time to fledging, and details of parental care are not known. ^[9]

Songs and calls Listen to the plumbeous antbird on xeno-canto

Vocalization

The plumbeous antbird's song is "a long...rattling trill that accelerates throughout, and gains and then declines in intensity". ^[9] It has been written as "wo-wu-wu-wu-wu-wu-wu-wrrrrrrrrrr" ^[11] and "wur-wur-wurwrwrwe'e'e'e'e'ip" ^[12] . Its calls include "wo-púr" or "klo-kú" and "a fast chattering 'chrr-trr-trr-trr-trr-trr-trr' ". ^[11]

Status

The IUCN has assessed the plumbeous antbird as being of Least Concern. It has a large range; its population size is not known and is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. ^[1] It is considered fairly common to common in most of its range. Its range includes several large protected areas both public and private, and "also encompasses extensive areas of intact habitat which, although not formally protected, are at little risk of being developed in the near future". ^[9]

References

1. BirdLife International (2016). "Plumbeous Antbird Myrmelastes hyperythrus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22701832A93850529. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22701832A93850529.en . Retrieved 27 July 2024.
2. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2024). "Antbirds". IOC World Bird List. v 14.1. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
3. Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 4 March 2024. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved March 5, 2024
4. Sclater, Philip (1855). "A draft arrangement of the genus Thamnophilus, Vieillot". The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal. New Series. 1: 226–249 [235].
5. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1951). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 7. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 236.
6. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p.  198. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
7. Sclater, Philip Lutley (1858). "Synopsis of the American ant-birds (Formicariidae). Part III. containing the third subfamily Formicariinae, or Ant-thrushes". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 26: 272–289 [274].
8. Isler, M.L., Bravo, G.A. and Brumfield, R.T. (2013). Taxonomic revision of Myrmeciza (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae) into 12 genera based on phylogenetic, morphological, behavioral, and ecological data. Zootaxa 3717(4): 469–497.
9. Zimmer, K. and M.L. Isler (2020). Plumbeous Antbird (Myrmelastes hyperythrus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.pluant1.01 retrieved July 27, 2024
10. McMullan, Miles; Donegan, Thomas M.; Quevedo, Alonso (2010). Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Bogotá: Fundación ProAves. p. 139. ISBN   978-0-9827615-0-2.
11. Ridgely, Robert S.; Greenfield, Paul J. (2001). The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide. Vol. II. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 426. ISBN   978-0-8014-8721-7.
12. Schulenberg, T.S., D.F. Stotz, D.F. Lane, J.P. O’Neill, and T.A. Parker III. 2010. Birds of Peru. Revised and updated edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Plate 172.
13. van Perlo, Ber (2009). A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 258–259. ISBN   978-0-19-530155-7.
14. Londoño, Gustav A. (2003). "First description of the nest and eggs of the Plumbeous (Myrmeciza hyperythra) and the Black-faced (Myrmoborus myotherinus) Antbirds" (PDF). Ornitologia Neotropical. 14: 405–410.