Radinopsyche sellowi
The Caatinga Antwren (Radinopsyche sellowi) is a diminutive and highly specialized passerine bird, averaging 11-12 cm (4.3-4.7 inches) in length and weighing around 8-12 grams. Males display a striking pattern with a grey crown and upperparts, a prominent white supercilium contrasting with a black eye-line, and whitish underparts with pale grey flanks. Their wings are black with two distinct white bars, and the black tail features white tips. Females are equally distinctive, sporting a rufous...
Exclusively inhabits the Caatinga biome of northeastern Brazil, favoring arid and semi-arid dry forests, thorny scrub, and deciduous woodlands, typically from lowlands up to 900 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on small insects, spiders, and caterpillars, which it gleans from foliage and bark surfaces.
Diurnal and highly active, the Caatinga Antwren forages in the mid-story and subcanopy, rapidly gleaning insects and other small arthropods from leaves, twigs, and bark. Pairs maintain year-round territories, often reinforced by duet singing and frequent tail flicking. They are believed to be mon...
The Caatinga Antwren is strictly endemic to the Caatinga biome of northeastern Brazil, where it is a resident year-round. Its distribution spans across several Brazilian states, including Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, and extends into northern Minas Ger...
Least Concern
- Its scientific name, sellowi, honors the German naturalist Friedrich Sellow, who collected extensively in Brazil. - The genus Radinopsyche was recently established, underscoring its distinct evolutionary lineage within the antbird family. - This antwren is a true Caatinga specialist, being one ...