THE WORLD BIRDS - An Online Bird Book
Order Passeriformes Family Thamnophilidae
ANTBIRDS - Antvireos, Bare-eyes, Bushbird, Fire-eyes
Order Passeriformes Family Thamnophilidae
The Antbirds of family Thamnophilidae occur in tropical and subtropical Central and South America. There are more than 200 species, known variously as antwrens, antbirds and antshrikes (here ordered by size with antwrens the smallest and antshrikes the largest). Other miscellaneous names for some of the species in the Thamnophilidae family are: antvireos, bare-eyes, bushbird, fire-eyes. Collective, members of the Thamnophilidae family are known as antbirds. They not closely related to the wrens, vireos or shrikes.
Most species live in forests and most feed in the understory and midstory of the forest, although a few feed in the canopy and a few on the ground. They feed on ants and other insects. They use a number of techniques to obtain prey. The majority of antbirds are arboreal, with most of those feeding in the understory, many in the middle story and some in the canopy. A few species feed in the leaf litter; The antbirds that forage arboreally show a number of techniques and specialisations. Some species perch-glean, perching on a branch watching for prey and snatching it by reaching forward, where others sally from a perch and snatch prey on the wing.
Thamnophilidae are related to antpittas of family Grallariidae and the antthrushes of family Formicariidae.
Genus Dysithamnus
Antvireo,_Bicolored Dysithamnus occidentalis Found: Columbia, Ecuador, Peru
The male Bicolored Antvireo has gray-black plumage with white-dotted wingbars. Female has brown upperparts; chestnut crown; gray underparts.
Image by: 1, 2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Juan_Daniel_Lane in Peru
Antvireo,_Plain Dysithamnus mentalis Found: South America
The male Plain Antvireo has gray upperparts, crown; variable underparts - gray, white, or yellow. Female has more olive upperparts; chestnut crown; white eye-ring.
Image by: 1, 3) Nick Athanas 2) José Loaiza 4) Hector_Bottai 5) Claudio_Timm.JPG){kind=link}
1, 2) Female 3, 4, 5) Male
Antvireo,_Plumbeous Dysithamnus plumbeus Found: Atlantic forest of eastern Brazil
The male Plumbeous Antvireo has dark gray plumage; narrow white tips to wing coverts. Female has olive-brown upperparts; whitish throat; ochraceous lower belly, vent.
Similar to: White-streaked Antvireo. Males are almost identical in plumage. Female White streaked has rufous upperparts; female Plumbeous has brown upperparts. Ranges do not overlap.
Image by: 1) Kelley_Sampeck 2) Hector_BottaiSimilar to: White-streaked Antvireo. Males are almost identical in plumage. Female White streaked has rufous upperparts; female Plumbeous has brown upperparts. Ranges do not overlap.
Antvireo,_Rufous-backed Dysithamnus xanthopterus Found: coastal mountains of southeast Brazil
The male Rufous-backed Antvireo has rufous upperparts; gray upperback, nape, head; pale gray underparts. Female has rufous upperparts, crown; gray face; olive flanks.
Image by: 1) Octavio_Campos_Salles 2) Nick Athanas 3) Hector_Bottai
Antvireo,_Spot-breasted Dysithamnus stictothorax Found: northeast Argentina, east Brazil
The male Spot-breasted Antvireo has grayish-olive upperparts; gray forehead, crown with white spots on side of head; blackish wings; whitish breast with large dark spots. Female are more olive than mails; chestnut crown.
Image by: 1) JulaniPhotos 2) Nick Athanas 3) Rick_elis_simpson
Antvireo,_Spot-crowned Dysithamnus puncticeps Found: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama
The male Spot-crowned Antvireo has mainly gray plumage; lighter underparts; spotted crown. Female similar to male with gray replaced by brown.
Image by: 1, 2) Nick Athanas 3) Dave Curtis1) Female 2, 3) Male
Antvireo,_Streak-crowned Dysithamnus striaticeps Found: Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua
The male Streak-crowned Antvireo has grayish-olive upperparts; dark gray crown streaked with grayish-white; white throat and breast with dark streaks. Female dark spotted rufous crown; ochre breast, flanks.
Image by: 1) Tom_Benson - Costa Rica 2) Nick Athanas- Costa Rica 3) David_Rodriguez_Arias1) Female 2, 3) Male
Antvireo,_Stripe-backed Myrmorchilus strigilatus Found: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay
The Stripe-backed Antvireo has brown streaked upperparts. Male has a black throat.
Image by: 1) Joseph_Smit 2) Nick Athanas - Brazil Joao_Quental - Brazil 4) Hector_Bottai - Brazil
1) Pair 2) Female 3, 4) Male
Antvireo,_White-streaked Dysithamnus leucostictus Found: Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
The male White-streaked Antvireo has dark gray plumage; narrow white tips to wing coverts. Female has reddish-brown upperparts; pale gray underparts with white streaks (from whence the name).
Similar to: Plumbeous Antvireo. Males are almost identical in plumage. Female White streaked has rufous upperparts; female Plumbeous has brown upperparts. Ranges do not overlap.
Image by: 1) Reserva_de_Biosfera_Sumaco 2) Nick Athanas - EcuadorSimilar to: Plumbeous Antvireo. Males are almost identical in plumage. Female White streaked has rufous upperparts; female Plumbeous has brown upperparts. Ranges do not overlap.
1) Female 2) Male
Genus Neoctantes - 1 species
Bushbird,_Black Neoctantes niger Found: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
The male Black Bushbird has black plumage. Female also has black plumage except for rufous breast.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Columbia 2) Dick Daniels - Botanical Gardens, Quito, Ecuador 3) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Dusan_Brinkhuizen
1) Female 2) Juvenile male 3) Male
Genus Phlegopsis
Bare-eye,_Black-spotted Phlegopsis nigromaculata Found: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
The Black-spotted Bare-eye has brown upperpartswith black tear-shaped spots; black head, underparts; red orbital skin around eyes.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Ecuador 2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Graham_Montgomery
Bare-eye,_Reddish-winged Phlegopsis erythroptera Found: northeast South America
Image by: 1) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Pedro_Beja
Bare-eye,_Pale-faced Phlegopsis borbae Found: Brazil
Image by: 1) hbw.com
Genus Pyriglena
The fire-eyes all have red eyes. They follow swams, armies of ants.
Fire-eye,_Fringe- backed Pyriglena atra Found: lowlands of far east Brazil
The Fringe-backed Fire-eye has mainly black plumage; white patch with fringes on the back. Female has brown upperparts; black tail; white throat.
Image by: 1, 2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Ciro_Albano 3) Nick Athanas - Brazil 1) Female 2, 3) Male
Fire-eye,_White-backed Pyriglena leuconota Found: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru
The male White-backed Fire-eye has mainly black plumage; white patch on back; red eyes. Female variable: brown upperparts; also may have some black on upperparts.
Image by: 1, 4) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Joao_Quental 2) Nick Athanas - Ecuador 3) José Loaiza - Ecuador
Fire-eye, White-shouldered Pyriglena leucoptera Found: southern South America
Image by: 1) Dave_Curtis 2, 3) Dario Sanches - Brazil 4) Nick Athanas
