The Humaita antbird is a species of passerine bird in the family Thamnophilidae. It is found in humid forest in the south-western Amazon in Brazil and Bolivia. The conservation status of the Humaita antbird has been assessed by BirdLife International to be of Least Concern.
Similar species: Perching Birds
By Thibaud Aronson
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Uploaded Dec 14, 2023. Captured Oct 29, 2023 13:22 in RW89+FR AlegrÃa, Peru.
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In Peru, this tricky antbird is mostly restricted to Moriche palm swamps in the southeast. Last year, I was at the best-known spot for it, where I had a very antpitta-like kind of experience. Meaning that I could hear the damn bird singing no more than 5 meters away but could not see a single feather, with the added bonus that I was wading through the pitch-black water right up to the edge of my rubber boots and trying to keep an eye out for anacondas (which would have been both terrifying and exciting, as I have yet to see a wild one). Eventually I gave up as the antbird clearly wasn't going to show itself and I had other cool birds to look for.
Meanwhile, on this last trip, the effects of the prolonged dry season were very obvious, and the Brazil nut forest I was in is pretty dry forest to begin with. But there is a tiny spring, with literally about 5 Moriche palms near the house of the concession's owners, which is where they get their water. The first time I went there I could hear an antbird singing that I just couldn't recognize. I mulled it over all morning until I had a lightbulb moment. Wait... palm trees, could it be? I came back at noon and tried some playback and boom, instantly got a response!
It still took a couple of visits until I managed to get decent views of both the male and female, but they remained extremely skittish, sticking to very tangled undergrowth. This photo was taken in manual focus through two dozen blocking branches and vines, and I'm amazed that the bird actually came out sharp! A bit of Topaz labs magic and voilà! Posted one year ago