- Myrmecocichla aethiops
Identification
17–19 cm (6¾-7½ in)
- Blackish-brown overall plumage
- White bases to flight feathers (visible in flight)
- Black bill and legs
Confusion species
Differs from Sooty Chat as follows:
- Generally browner: Sooty males are blackish
- Proportionately longer tailed (Sooty appears notably short tailed)
- Sooty males often have an extensive white "shoulder" on the closed wing
- Northern Anteater has large white primary patches in flight
- Sooty's bill may be pale (creamy or yellowish)
- Northern Anteater's bill generally appears more robust and is slightly curved
Note that females/immatures of both species may show gingery primary fringes on the closed wing although this is usually more obvious on Northern Anteater
Distribution
Africa:
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea
Eastern Africa: Sudan, South Sudan and Kenya,
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies[1]:
- M. a. aethiops:
- Senegambia to Chad, northern Nigeria and northern Cameroon
- M. a. sudanensis:
- West Sudan (Darfur and Kordofan)
- M. a. cryptoleuca:
Habitat
Grassland, scrub, woods and forests. Nearly always in areas where there are termite mounds.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet is mainly insects, such as termites, beetles, moths, ants, grasshoppers, spiders and caterpillars.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2017)
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Northern Anteater Chat. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 17 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Northern_Anteater_Chat
