Driophlox cristata
The Crested Ant Tanager (*Driophlox cristata*) is a strikingly colored, medium-sized songbird, typically measuring 18-19 cm (7.1-7.5 inches) in length and weighing between 30-38 grams (1.1-1.3 ounces). Males are adorned in a brilliant crimson red, sharply contrasted by a distinctive blackish crest and a black loral area, making them unmistakable. Females, though equally charming, exhibit a duller reddish-orange plumage and a less prominent crest. This species belongs to the Cardinalidae famil...
This species thrives in the humid evergreen forests, preferring dense undergrowth within forest edges, secondary growth, and even shade coffee plantations. It is typically found from sea level up to elevations of about 1500 meters, occasionally reaching higher.
The diet of the Crested Ant Tanager primarily consists of insects and other arthropods, including ants, beetles, orthopterans, and spiders, supplemented with a small amount of fruit. They forage by gleaning prey from foliage and branches, often following army ant swarms to catch fleeing invertebr...
Crested Ant Tanagers are primarily diurnal, active during daylight hours, often moving stealthily through the dense understory where they roost communally in thick vegetation. Their foraging strategy is opportunistic and dynamic; they frequently join mixed-species flocks, but are particularly ren...
The Crested Ant Tanager is a resident species distributed across a significant portion of Central America and northwestern South America. Its northernmost extent includes the Caribbean slope of Honduras and Nicaragua, extending southward through both the Caribbean and Pacific slopes of Costa Rica...
Least Concern
- This species was recently reclassified from the genus *Habia* to *Driophlox*, based on comprehensive genetic studies that redefined its evolutionary relationships. - They are often referred to as "ant-followers" due to their strong association with army ant swarms, a specialized foraging behavi...