Myrmelastes leucostigma
The Spot-winged Antbird (*Myrmelastes leucostigma*) is a captivating medium-sized passerine, measuring 15-16.5 cm (6-6.5 inches) in length and weighing 21-29 grams, native to the humid understory of northern South America. Males are distinctly slaty gray to blackish, featuring a prominent white patch at the bend of the wing and small white spots on the wing coverts, along with a semi-concealed white dorsal patch. Females exhibit marked sexual dimorphism, presenting in warmer tones of dull oli...
Found in the dense undergrowth of humid lowland and foothill evergreen forests, often favoring areas near streams, marshes, or in gallery forests, typically up to 1300 meters (4,300 feet) in elevation.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a variety of insects (e.g., orthopterans, coleopterans, hymenopterans, lepidopteran larvae), spiders, and other small invertebrates, largely obtained by gleaning.
Spot-winged Antbirds are active during the day, maintaining a largely skulking demeanor within dense vegetation. They forage primarily by gleaning insects and spiders from foliage, bark, and dead leaves, usually within three meters of the forest floor. These birds are known to associate with army...
The Spot-winged Antbird boasts a broad geographic distribution across northern South America, inhabiting the Amazon Basin and the Guiana Shield. Its range extends from eastern Venezuela through the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana) and northeastern Brazil, south to southeastern Peru, cent...
Least Concern
- The genus name *Myrmelastes* translates to "ant-eater," referencing the family's association with ants, though only some species regularly follow army ant swarms. - Its former genus *Schistocichla* meant "slate-colored thrush-like bird," aptly describing the male's appearance. - The Spot-winged...