Herpsilochmus motacilloides
The Creamy-bellied Antwren (Herpsilochmus motacilloides) is a small, active passerine endemic to the humid montane forests of the eastern Andes. Measuring a mere 11-12 cm in length and typically weighing 9-10 grams, its most striking feature is its creamy-white underparts, which contrast with a black cap, white supercilium, and black eyestripe in males. Males also display a gray back streaked with black and prominent white wingbars. Females present a similar pattern but generally possess a ru...
This species primarily inhabits the canopy and subcanopy of humid montane and cloud forests, typically at elevations ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 meters above sea level.
Primarily insectivorous, this antwren feeds on a variety of small arthropods, which it gleans from leaves and branches in the forest canopy.
The Creamy-bellied Antwren exhibits a highly active diurnal foraging strategy, spending its days meticulously gleaning small arthropods from the foliage and twigs in the mid-story to canopy layers. It is frequently observed participating in mixed-species foraging flocks, a common behavior among N...
The Creamy-bellied Antwren is an Andean endemic, restricted to the humid montane forests of southeastern Peru and western Bolivia. Its breeding range encompasses the eastern slope of the Andes, extending from the department of Huánuco in central Peru, southward through Junín, Cusco, and Puno. In ...
Least Concern
- Its specific epithet "motacilloides" means "like a wagtail," referring to its active, tail-wagging movements as it forages. - Despite being an "antwren," it doesn't typically follow army ant swarms like some other antbird species; it's a foliage gleaner. - It is endemic to the eastern Andes of ...