- Poliocrania exsul
Identification
14 cm.
Male
- Black head, neck and breast
- Chestnut upperparts, wings and tail
- Dark brown lower belly and flanks
Female
- Brownish-black head and neck
Both sexes have a pale blue bare patch of skin around each eye
Juvenile:duller and more slaty
Variation
Subspecies maculifer has rows of tiny white spots on the wings.
Distribution
Central and South America
Central America: Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama
South America: Colombia and Ecuador
Taxonomy
Formerly placed in genus Myrmeciza.
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies[1]:
- C. e. exsul:
- C. e. occidentalis:
- Pacific slope of Costa Rica and western Panama
- C. e. niglarus:
- Eastern Panama and adjacent extreme north-western Colombia (northern Chocó)
- C. e. cassini:
- Extreme south-eastern Panama (Darién) and northern Colombia
- C. e. maculifer:
- Pacific slope of western Colombia and western Ecuador
Habitat
Up to 900m in understory thickets in wet forest, near streams.
Behaviour
Breeding
The cup nest is made from vines, plants and dead leaves, placed low in vegetation. The 2 white eggs, have purple or reddish-brown spots. Both parents care for the young.
Diet
The diet includes insects, lizards and frogs.
Vocalisation
Call: a grating naar
Song: a whistled peeet peeew
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Ayerbe Quiñones, F. 2019. An illustrated field guide to The Birds of Colombia. Wildlife Conservation Society/Colombia Program. ISBN: 978-958-5461-41-3
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Chestnut-backed Antbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 7 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chestnut-backed_Antbird
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
