Brown-bellied Stipplethroat

Overview

The brown-bellied stipplethroat, Epinecrophylla gutturalis, is a small bird in the family Thamnophilidae, formerly known as the brown-bellied antwren. It is a year-round resident found across parts of northern and eastern South America and is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Identification

• Size: 9.5 to 10.5 cm long and weighs 7.5 to 9.5 g.
• Males: Mostly gray face, black throat with white spots, olive-brown upperparts, and gray underparts with a clay-colored tinge towards the vent.
• Females: Pale brownish buff face and throat, yellowish olive-brown crown and upperparts, reddish tail, and pale brownish buff underparts.
• Song: An extremely high, thin, shivering, descending 't-srrrrrruw'.

Habitat

Inhabits the understorey of terra firme evergreen forest from sea level to 1,000 m, though mostly occurring below 600 m. Its range extends from eastern Venezuela east through the Guianas and south in Brazil to the Amazon River basin.

Diet

The diet is not known in detail but includes insects and spiders. It typically forages in the forest understory, often within vine tangles, on hanging clusters of dead leaves, and in debris trapped in vines, usually singly, in pairs, or as part of mixed-species flocks.

Did you know?

Males defend their territory by displaying to each other from perches less than 1 m apart, puffing up their back plumage, flaring their throat feathers, swaying, and continuously vocalising.