Chestnut-crested Antbird

Appearance

The chestnut-crested antbird is 14 to 15 cm long. Both sexes have a pale bluish white ring of bare skin around the eye. Adult males have a rufous-chestnut crown, crest, and nape. Their forehead, lores, face, and throat are black. Their upperparts, wings, and tail are dark olive-brown with rufous edges on the wing feathers. Their breast is rufous-chestnut that becomes dark olive-brown on their belly. Adult females are like males with the addition of short black bars on their back feathers and lesser coverts.

Distribution

The chestnut-crested antbird is found from eastern Caquetá Department in Colombia east into western Brazil generally between the Vaupés, Negro, and Japurá rivers. It primarily inhabits the understorey of humid "terra firme" evergreen forest, especially that growing on sandy soils. Its range is entirely below 350 m of elevation.

Status

The IUCN has assessed the chestnut-crested antbird as being of Least Concern. Its population size is not known and is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered uncommon to locally fairly common and its small range is "currently under relatively little development pressure".

Reproduction

The chestnut-crested antbird's breeding season appears to include May to at least July. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.

Food

The chestnut-crested antbird is an obligate ant follower that feeds on a variety of arthropods that flee foraging army ant swarms, such as those of "Eciton burchelli". It typically forages individually, in pairs, and in family groups, perching within about 1 m of the ground and sallying or pouncing to the ground after prey. Several family groups may attend an ant swarm. It is dominant over smaller antbirds but subordinate to larger antbirds and species of other families such as woodcreepers.