Hairy-crested Antbird
A species of Bare-eyed Antbirds Scientific name : Rhegmatorhina melanosticta Genus : Bare-eyed Antbirds
Hairy-crested Antbird, A species of Bare-eyed Antbirds
Botanical name: Rhegmatorhina melanosticta
Genus: Bare-eyed Antbirds
Content
Description General Info
Description
The hairy-crested antbird (Rhegmatorhina melanosticta) is a species of bird in the family Thamnophilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The hairy-crested antbird is a specialist ant-follower that relies on swarms of army ants to flush insects and other arthropods out of the leaf litter. The hairy-crested antbird was described by the English ornithologists Philip Sclater and Osbert Salvin in 1880 and given the binomial name Pithys melanosticta. The present genus Rhegmatorhina was introduced by the American ornithologist Robert Ridgway in 1888. The specific epithet melanosticta is from the Ancient Greek melanostiktos meaning "black-spotted". It combines melas meaning "black" and stiktos meaning "spotted".
Size
15 cm
Nest Placement
Tree
Feeding Habits
Hairy-crested Antbird subsists mainly on diverse arthropods, particularly insects such as crickets, cockroaches, and grasshoppers, often exploiting army-ant swarms for their meals. Its foraging technique involves agile maneuvering close to the ground, utilizing short flights and quick sallies to capture prey displaced by ants. A specialist in this regard, hairy-crested Antbird exhibits dedicated ant-following behavior, rarely engaging with other flocks, and demonstrates skilled hunting agility and prey handling, even aggressively displacing competitors at swarm sites.
Habitat
The hairy-crested Antbird is typically found in the understory of humid lowland and foothill evergreen forests, predominantly in terra firme ecosystems. This species is associated with undisturbed, mature forest environments, often where transitional forest conditions are present, across broader tropical regions.
Dite type
Insectivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Antbirds Genus
Bare-eyed Antbirds Species
Hairy-crested Antbird