| Rio Branco antbird | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Thamnophilidae |
| Genus: | Cercomacra |
| Species: | C. carbonaria |
| Binomial name | |
| Cercomacra carbonaria Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1873 | |
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The Rio Branco antbird (Cercomacra carbonaria) is a Critically Endangered bird species in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Brazil and Guyana. [1] [2]
The Rio Branco antbird was described by the English ornithologists Philip Sclater and Osbert Salvin in 1873 and given its current binomial name Cercomacra carbonaria. [3] A 2014 study confirmed what had been earlier suggested, that the Rio Branco antbird and the Mato Grosso (C. melanaria), jet (C. nigricans), and Bananal (C. ferdinandi) antbirds form a clade within genus Cercomacra. [4]
The Rio Branco antbird is 14 to 15.5 cm (5.5 to 6.1 in) long; one individual weighed 14.5 g (0.51 oz). Adult males are almost entirely black, with white edges on their outer scapulars, a white patch between them, and a hidden white patch under them. Their wing coverts and tail feathers have white tips and their flight feathers have white inner edges. Females have a brownish gray head and upperparts with a white interscapular patch. Their wings and tail are dark gray with greenish gray edges on the flight feathers. Their wing coverts are blackish gray with white tips and their tail feathers have white tips. Their throat and upper breast are white with dark gray spots, their lower breast and belly are streaked with gray and buff-white, and their sides, flanks, and crissum are buff-gray. [5] [6]
The Rio Branco antbird is found along the Rio Branco from the Ireng River on the Guyana-Brazil border south downstream to the middle Rio Branco in Roraima and also on some of its tributaries. It inhabits the understorey to mid-storey of gallery forest and forested river islands. It almost always occurs in dense, vine-laden thickets. In elevation its range appears to be restricted to between 800 and 900 m (2,600 and 3,000 ft). [1] [5] [6]
The Rio Branco antbird is believed to be a year-round resident throughout its range. [5]
The Rio Branco antbird's diet has not been detailed but is known to be insects and probably also includes spiders. Individuals, pairs, and family groups usually forage between about 1 and 7 m (3 and 23 ft) above the ground, though occasionally as high as 10 m (33 ft). They hop among vine tangles and other dense vegetation and usually take prey by gleaning and lunging from a perch and also sometimes with short fluttering flights. They are not known to join mixed-species feeding flocks nor to follow army ants. [5]
The Rio Branco antbird's breeding season has not been defined but appears to include from August or before to perhaps October. Its only known nest was a small cup suspended in a branch fork in a leafy shrub 1.5 m (5 ft) above the ground. Both members of a pair defended their territory. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology. [5]
The male Rio Branco's song is "a couplet consisting of short buzzy note and longer, clearer note, repeated 4–10 (most often 4–7) times". Females often interject a "loud buzzy note" which the male then answers with a similar, but lower-pitched, note. The species' calls include a "duo or trio of abrupt notes, delivered rapidly, and [an] unclear whine that sounds like a tree branch squeaking in wind". [5]
The IUCN originally in 1988 assessed the Rio Branco antbird as Threatened, then in 1994 as Vulnerable, in 2008 as Near Threatened, and since 2012 as Critically Endangered. It has a very small range and its estimated population of between 6000 and 15,000 mature individuals is believed to be decreasing. "The primary threat is now thought to be accelerating deforestation in the Amazon basin as land is cleared for cattle ranching and soy production, facilitated by expansion of the road network." [1] It is considered locally fairly common but its available habitat is estimated to cover only 723 km2 (280 sq mi). In addition to deforestation for agriculture, fire (both intentional and accidental) has significantly reduced the species' available habitat. It is common in Viruá National Park. [5]
The dusky antbird or tyrannine antbird is a passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found from Mexico south through Central America and in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The Rio de Janeiro antbird is a Near Threatened species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is endemic to Brazil.
Cercomacra is a genus of passerine birds in the family Thamnophilidae.
The grey antbird is a species of 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.
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Willis's antbird, also known as the laeta antbird, is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Brazil and Guyana.
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The Mato Grosso antbird is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.
The jet antbird is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela.
Parker's antbird is a species of passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is endemic to Colombia.
The black antbird is a species of passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The dusky-tailed antbird is an insectivorous bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
The lunulated antbird is a species of insectivorous bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
The black-and-white antbird is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The brown-bellied stipplethroat, previously called brown-bellied antwren is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The foothill stipplethroat, previously called the foothill antwren, is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The chestnut-shouldered antwren is a species of bird in subfamily Euchrepomidinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.
The ash-winged antwren is a species of bird in subfamily Euchrepomidinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, and possibly Peru.
The dusky-throated antshrike is a species of 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 mouse-colored antshrike is a species of 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.
