Neocossyphus poensis
The White-tailed Ant Thrush (Neocossyphus poensis) is a medium-sized passerine, measuring approximately 18-20 cm in length and weighing 30-40 grams. It exhibits a striking rufous-chestnut plumage across its head, back, and underparts, contrasting with darker, sooty-brown wings and tail. Its most distinctive field mark, crucial for identification in the dim forest understory, is the prominent white outer tail feathers, often fanned when the bird is agitated or in flight. A pale eye-ring furthe...
This species primarily inhabits dense, humid primary and mature secondary lowland rainforests and evergreen forests, favoring the thick undergrowth. It is typically found at elevations ranging from sea level up to approximately 1,000 meters, occasionally reaching 1,500 meters.
Its diet consists predominantly of insects, including ants, termites, beetles, caterpillars, and orthopterans, supplemented by other small invertebrates such as spiders, millipedes, and snails. Foraging primarily involves gleaning items from leaf litter and low vegetation on the forest floor, wit...
The White-tailed Ant Thrush is a highly secretive and typically solitary or paired diurnal bird, spending most of its time gleaning invertebrates from the forest floor leaf litter. It often perches quietly on low branches, blending seamlessly with its surroundings. While its name suggests a stron...
The White-tailed Ant Thrush boasts a widespread, albeit somewhat patchy, distribution across West and Central Africa. Its range extends from Ghana and Togo in the west, through Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea (including the island of Bioko), Gabon, and the Republic of Congo. Further east, it...
Least Concern
- Despite its common name, the White-tailed Ant Thrush is classified as an Old World Flycatcher (Muscicapidae), not a true thrush, highlighting taxonomic reclassifications. - Its most striking field mark is the bright white outer tail feathers, which it often flashes, likely as an alarm or displa...