Hylophylax naevioides
The Spotted Antbird (Hylophylax naevioides) is a strikingly marked member of the antbird family (Thamnophilidae), known for its specialized foraging habits. Measuring around 11-12 cm (4.3-4.7 inches) in length and weighing 13-16 grams (0.46-0.56 oz), this small passerine boasts a rusty-brown crown, olive-brown back, and bold white wing-bars. Its most distinctive field marks include a black face and throat contrasting sharply with brilliant blue bare skin around the eye, and pristine white und...
This species primarily inhabits the understory of humid lowland evergreen forests, frequently extending into mature secondary growth. It is typically found from sea level up to elevations of about 1200 meters.
The diet of the Spotted Antbird consists almost exclusively of insects and other arthropods, including grasshoppers, spiders, cockroaches, and small lizards. They primarily forage by snatching prey flushed by army ant swarms, making them obligate ant-followers.
Spotted Antbirds are highly diurnal, spending their active hours in the dense undergrowth, often near army ant swarms. Their foraging strategy is specialized: they perch low to the ground and make quick darts, short flights, and hops to snatch insects and other arthropods flushed by the moving an...
The Spotted Antbird boasts a broad distribution across Central and northwestern South America, inhabiting the humid lowland forests of this region. Its range extends from extreme eastern Honduras, through Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Southward, it is found across Colombia (including the Pac...
Least Concern
- The Spotted Antbird is considered an 'obligate ant-follower,' meaning it relies almost entirely on army ant swarms to flush out its prey. Without these ants, its survival would be severely challenged. - Its striking blue bare skin around the eye is a prominent feature, highly unusual among antb...