Variegated Antpitta

Overview

The variegated antpitta (Grallaria varia) is a species of bird in the family Grallariidae found across South America. It is characterised as one of the largest members of its genus in the lowlands and is currently assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, despite a believed population decline.

Identification

• A plump, round bird measuring 16 to 20.5 cm in length with very short tails and stout bills.
• Plumage features a slate grey crown and nape, olive brown upperparts with black scaling, and a rufescent olive throat with a small white or buff patch on the brown breast.
• The song varies by subspecies, ranging from a series of 11–14 notes that increase in volume to a three-part series of low-pitched, mournful notes.

Habitat

Found in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, the Guianas, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela, this species generally inhabits the floor of humid primary and mature secondary forest. In the Amazon Basin, it favours terra firme and floodplain forest, reaching elevations of about 650 m in Amazonian Brazil and Venezuela, and up to 1,400 m in southeastern Brazil.

Diet

The diet is primarily composed of arthropods and includes other invertebrates such as earthworms. Foraging is highly terrestrial, involving hopping, pausing, and dashing to capture prey while sometimes flicking aside leaf litter, with most hunting occurring at dawn and dusk.

Did you know?

The bird occasionally attends army ant swarms to capture prey disturbed by the insects. Its scientific name, Grallaria, is derived from Neo-Latin for 'stilt-walker', although the species itself is described as highly terrestrial and seldom flying.