Stripe-backed antbird
| Stripe-backed antbird | |
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Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Thamnophilidae |
| Genus: | Myrmorchilus Ridgway,1909 |
| Species: | M. strigilatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Myrmorchilus strigilatus (Wied,1831)
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Thestripe-backed antbird(Myrmorchilus strigilatus) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of familyThamnophilidae,the "typical antbirds". It is found inArgentina,Bolivia,BrazilandParaguay.[2]
Taxonomy and systematics
[edit]The genusMyrmorchiluswas erected by the American ornithologistRobert Ridgwayin 1909.[3]The stripe-backed antbird is the only member of the genus. It has two subspecies, thenominateM. s. strigilatus(Wied,1831) andM. s. suspicax(Wetmore,1922).[2]
Description
[edit]The stripe-backed antbird is 15 to 16 cm (5.9 to 6.3 in) long and weighs 23 to 26 g (0.81 to 0.92 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a whitesuperciliumand a dark line through the eye on an otherwise buffy face. Their crown, neck, and back are rufous with black streaks; their rump and uppertailcovertsare plain rufous. Their central tail feathers are rufous and the outer ones black with white outer edges and tips. Their wings are black with some rufous on the edges of the flight feathers; their wingcovertsare black with white tips. Their throat and breast are black. The rest of their underparts are white with black spots on the sides and flanks and a buff tinge to thecrissum.Adult females have a buff throat, breast, and belly with darker streaks on the sides and breast. Males of subspeciesM. s. suspicaxhave a buff supercilium, flanks, and crissum; females have a brownish supercilium and deeper buff flanks and crissum than the nominate.[4][5][6]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The stripe-backed antbird has adisjunct distribution.The nominate subspecies is found in northeastern Brazil in an area roughtly bounded by easternPiauí,Rio Grande do Norte,and northernMinas Gerais.SubspeciesM. s. suspicaxis found in the western parts of Brazil'sMato GrossoandMato Grosso do Sulstates, in southeastern Bolivia, in western Paraguay, and in northern Argentina as far south asSanta Fe Province.[4]
The nominate subspecies primarily inhabitscaatingawoodlands and scrublands. SubspeciesM. s. suspicaxprimarily inhabits the woodlands and scrublands of theGran Chaco.In both ecozones it favors areas with dense ground cover. In elevation it ranges up to about 1,100 m (3,600 ft).[4][5][6]
Behavior
[edit]Movement
[edit]The stripe-backed antbird is believed to be a year-round resident throughout its range.[4]
Feeding
[edit]The stripe-backed antbird feeds onarthropods,especially insects. It typically forages singly or in pairs, and mostly on the ground under dense vegetation though it will feed as high as 2 m (7 ft) above the ground. It picks through leaf litter and terrestrialbromeliads,reaches up to glean from foliage, and sometimes jumps to glean from higher leaves, branches, and vines.[4][5][6]
Breeding
[edit]The two known stripe-backed antbird nests were open cups of dry grass on the ground; both contained two eggs. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.[4]
Vocalization
[edit]The two subspecies of the stripe-backed antbird appear to have the same song. It is a "[v]ery/extr. high, sharp 'sreet-soweét'" that is sometimes followed by a "strident, slightly descending 'sreet-sreet-sreet-sruw-sruw'".[5]The species' call is "a long...whistle, entirely downslurred or slightly rising and falling".[4]
Status
[edit]TheIUCNhas assessed the stripe-backed antbird as being of Least Concern. Both subspecies have very large ranges. The species' population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[1]It is considered fairly common in both ranges. However, very little of either is protected by parks and preserves, and conversion of the habitat to agriculture and grazing is ongoing.[4]
References
[edit]- ^abBirdLife International (2016)."Stripe-backed AntbirdMyrmorchilus strigilatus".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2016:e.T22701546A93835535.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22701546A93835535.en.Retrieved3 February2024.
- ^abGill, Frank;Donsker, David;Rasmussen, Pamela,eds. (January 2024)."Antbirds".IOC World Bird List.v 14.1.RetrievedJanuary 4,2024.
- ^Ridgway, Robert(1909)."New genera, species and subspecies of Formicariidae, Furnariidae, and Dendrocolaptidae".Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington.22:69–74 [69–70].
- ^abcdefghZimmer, K., M.L. Isler, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Stripe-backed Antbird (Myrmorchilus strigilatus), 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.stbant2.01retrieved February 3, 2024
- ^abcdvan Perlo, Ber (2009).A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil.New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 244–245.ISBN978-0-19-530155-7.
- ^abcde la Peña, Martín R.; Rumboll, Maurice (2001).Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica.Princeton Illustrated Checklists. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. plate 67.ISBN0691090351.
