- Myrmeciza laemosticta
Identification
13-14cm.
Male
- Black grey head, neck, upper mantle
- Black grey to upper belly
- Refous brown on rest of upperparts and underparts
- Black throat
- Irregular black spots on breast
- Cinnamon tipped primary coverts
- Grey underwing coverts
- White patch between shoulders
- Red iris
- Black bill
- Grey feet
Female
- Similar but lighter
- Black throat with white spots
Distribution
Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies are recognized[1]:
- M. l. laemosticta
- Costa Rica and Panama including Darien
- M. l. palliata (formerly recognized subspecies bolivari, venezuelae included here; however Restall states that these two may be identical but different from palliata)
- Colombia and Venezuela
A proposal has been made to split these into two species with the second part becoming Magdalena Antbird (Myrmeciza palliata)
Habitat
Lowland moist forest, deep ravines and near streams.
Behaviour
The diet includes spiders, cockroaches, beetles, crickets, woodlice and larvae.
It builds a cup shaped nest; 2 white, cinnamon spotted eggs are laid.
References
Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Birdforum thread discussing the possible split of this species.
- Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
Wikipedia
