- Myrmotherula iheringi
Includes Bamboo Antwren
Identification
8.5-9.5 cm, 3.35-3.74 inches, 7.5-9 g, 0.26-0.32 oz
Male
- Slate grey above with concealed white interscapular patch
- Black wing-coverts with white tips giving spotted look
- White under-wing coverts
- Black throat, upper breast and middle of lower breast. Degree of black variable
- Centre of belly whitish
- Remainder of underparts grey
- Tail is short
Female
- Light blue-grey above
- Whitish throat
- Pale yellowish-brown underside (somewhat dirty looking),
- Some degree of yellowish-brown in supercilium and sides of head.
Subadult male
- Same as female, but;
- Throat with black blotches
Variation
- M. i. heteroptera female has underparts with orangey-yellow hue and yellowish-brown tips to wing-coverts
Distribution
Lowlands of eastern Peru, northernmost Bolivia and south of Rio Amazon half way to the east coast of Brazil
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Myrmotherula iheringi has three subpecies:[1]
M. i. heteroptera
M. i. iheringi
- South-central Amazonian Brazil (West bank of River Tapajós and along drainages of River Jiparaná and River Roosevelt south to Rondônia).
M. i. oreni (originally described as new species, Bamboo Antwren)
Habitat
Mid- and understorey of lowland evergreen forest, up to elevations of 400 m. Limited to stands of Guadua bamboo in southeastern Peru, but elsewhere in range occupies mid-storey vines, with or without bamboo. Is thought to survive in disturbed areas within suitable micro-habitats.
Behaviour
Breeding
Very little known.
In Peru, copulation recorded in July and juvenile seen in September. Nest building on 3rd October with 1 chick fledged on 8th November. Incubation by both parents with chaneover occuring after 4-5 hours. Non-incubating partner joined mixed flock for feeding with movement of up to over one hundred meters from nest. When feeding nestlings, movement was limited to 50 m of the nest
Diet
Insects, including orthopterans, stick-insects (Phasmatidae), and adult and larval butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), likely also spiders (araneae).
Forages in closely knit pairs, individually, or in family groups, mainly at 3–10 m above ground. The mean height is higher in Rondônia, Brazil (6.4 m) than in Cocha Cashu, Peru (5.1 m).
Forages alone or in mixed flock of Thamnomanes antshrikes and other insectivores. Restless while foraging with lateral hopping, directional changes and step retracing, with constant wing flicking and lateral tail movement. Often leans forward with streched neck to feed by gleaning from the underside of vegtation, hangs below vegetation and branches to make short sallies to hover-glean. Regularly searches dead leaves for food, but doesn't like to stop there for long.
Movement
This species is thought to be resident
Vocalisation
Song is a loud series of down-slurred "peer" notes that are of countable and variable in number. Song length equals interval length, with speed and pitch constant.
Call a disyllabic "pe-weet", with the second being a shrp and down-slurred whistle. Sometimes the first note appears to be omitted.
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/
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2014. IOC World Bird Names (version 4.3). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
- Morton & Stutchbury (2001): Behavioral Ecology of Tropical Birds. Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-675556-6
- Ridgely and Tudor 2009. Field guide to the songbirds of South America - The Passerines. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-71979-8
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2017)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Ihering's Antwren. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 16 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Ihering%27s_Antwren
