Imeri Warbling Antbird

Overview

The Imeri warbling antbird (Hypocnemis flavescens) is a species of bird in the family Thamnophilidae, commonly known as the typical antbirds. It is a year-round resident found in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela, where it is considered fairly common to common across its range.

Identification

• Length ranges from 11 to 12 cm with a weight of 11 to 15 g.
• Adult males feature a black crown with a white central streak, a white supercilium, and an olive-gray back with a white patch between the scapulars.
• The rump and underparts, including the belly and flanks, are deep rufous, contrasting with a pale gray throat and breast with a yellow tinge.
• The male song is transcribed as 'tew, tew-tzew-tzew-tzew-tur paw, paw', while the female typically responds with descending notes.

Habitat

This species inhabits the edges of terra firme and várzea evergreen forest, mature secondary woodland, and shrubby borders of savanna woodland. It also occurs within the forest along watercourses and at gaps created by fallen trees. Elevations are mostly below 600 m, though it reaches up to 1,200 m in specific locations in northwestern Brazil.

Diet

The bird feeds primarily on insects and spiders, typically foraging by itself, in pairs, or in family groups within dense vegetation such as vine tangles, understorey shrubs, and bamboo thickets. It captures prey by reaching or lunging from a perch and making short sallies to overhanging vegetation, and it regularly follows army ant swarms while deferring to obligate ant followers.

Did you know?

Although it was historically merged into a broader warbling antbird complex, a 2007 study elevated it to full species status based on vocal differences and minor plumage distinctions.