- Myrmotherula menetriesii
Identification
8·5–9·5 cm (3¼-3¾ in)
Male is medium grey with slightly paler underside and hints of supercilium. On wings, a black wing band above a white one, and some black and white on the smallest coverts.
Female similar but with buff underside, side of head and supercilium.
Variation: south of the Rio Amazonas, the male has black throat and upper breast.
Distribution
South America: found in Amazonian Brazil and neighboring lowlands of Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies[1]:
- M. m. pallida:
- M. m. cinereiventris:
- M. m. menetriesii:
- M. m. berlepschi :
- M. m. omissa:
- North-eastern Brazil (R. Tapajós to western Maranhão)
Habitat
Humid forest in lowlands
Behaviour
Action
Tends to flick its tail sideways.
Diet
Feeds higher in the forest than Long-winged Antwren and White-flanked Antwren where these occur together.
Their main diet consists of insects, beetles and spiders. Caterpillars are fed to the young.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Ridgely and Tudor 2009. Field guide to the songbirds of South America - The Passerines. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-71979-8
- Morton & Stutchbury (2001): Behavioral Ecology of Tropical Birds. Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-675556-6
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Gray Antwren. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Gray_Antwren