Myrmoborus myotherinus
The Black-faced Antbird, Myrmoborus myotherinus, is a striking member of the antbird family (Thamnophilidae), renowned for its distinctive sexual dimorphism and association with army ant swarms. Males feature a dramatic black face, throat, and upper breast, contrasting sharply with a slate-gray body, a prominent white eye-ring, and a hidden white dorsal patch often revealed during display. Females are equally distinctive, presenting an olive-brown crown and upperparts, a conspicuous white eye...
Found primarily in the understory of humid lowland evergreen forests, often in dense vegetation, bamboo thickets, or near water sources. It typically inhabits elevations from sea level up to about 900-1000 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a variety of insects (e.g., beetles, cockroaches, orthopterans) and other arthropods like spiders. They forage by gleaning from vegetation and snatching prey disturbed by army ant swarms.
Black-faced Antbirds are diurnal and primarily solitary or found in monogamous pairs, maintaining established territories. Their foraging strategy largely involves gleaning insects and other arthropods from foliage, branches, and leaf litter in the lower strata of the forest. A notable behavior i...
The Black-faced Antbird boasts a wide and largely continuous distribution across the Amazon Basin of South America. Its primary range encompasses parts of southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and extensively across western and central Brazil. Disjunct populations al...
Least Concern
- The Black-faced Antbird is one of several 'professional' army ant followers, meaning it regularly attends swarms but can also forage independently, unlike 'obligate' followers. - Males possess a striking 'hidden' white patch on their lower back, often revealed only during excitement or display....