The hairy-crested antbird 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.
Similar species: Passerines
By Thibaud Aronson
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Uploaded Sep 6, 2020. Captured Aug 25, 2020 14:54 in Palcazu, 19320, Peru.
comments (11)
Plenty of photos to sort through from the last 3(!) outings, I just wanted to share this one before I start uploading things in a more chronological, methodical fashion.
It had been a very slow day, and then on my way back, around 3 PM, I stumbled upon a little mixed flock with a few antwrens. As I was trying to get photos, I noticed I flimsy nest hanging from under a palm frond, so after a few minutes when the antwrens inevitably vanished, I decided to stick around to see who the nest belonged to (it turned out to be a Great-billed hermit). But while I was waiting, I suddenly heard some harsh chirrs coming from around the next bend. I went to check it out and stumbled upon a pair of this rare and delightful antbird (usually an obligate ant-follower) who took one look at me and bolted! But I gues they didn't go far, because I barely had to play a brief burst of playback and they came back immediately and circled me for a couple minutes, vocalizing all the while, before taking off for good!
It's for moments like those that I birdwatch :) Posted 2 years ago
Can't wait to discover what else you have seen. Don't be too selective in your sharing ;) Posted 2 years ago
The hairy-crested antbird (Rhegmatorhina melanosticta) is native to lowland tropical and subtropical forests in South America. It has a really cool, specialist behavior: it follows swarms of army ants. Why? Well, these ants send out large raiding parties, which flush huge numbers of insects, spiders, and other arthropods out of the leaf litter. The hairy-crested antbirds, follow the ant swarms, and then feast on the critters that flee the ants. Brilliant! {Spotted in Peru by JungleDragon moderator, Thibaud Aronson} #JungleDragon #Rhegmatorhinamelanosticta #Hairycrestedantbird
Check out more of Thibaud's photos, which truly span the globe: https://www.jungledragon.com/user/2959/popular
https://www.facebook.com/jungledragonwildlife Posted 2 years ago