Tepui Antpitta

Overview

The tepui antpitta or brown-breasted antpitta (Myrmothera simplex) is a species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is found in the tepui regions of Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.

Identification

• About 16 cm long with chestnut-brown crown, nape, upperparts, wings, and tail.
• White chin and throat, with an olivaceous gray breast and flanks, and a white belly center.
• Adults of the nominate subspecies feature a small white spot behind the eye and slightly paler, grayer lores.
• Dark brown iris, a black bill with a pink-white base to the mandible, and medium gray legs.
• Song consists of 6-7 low-pitched, deliberately paced, hollow notes described as "whu-whu-whu-WU-hu-hu" and a low, hollow rattle-trill.

Habitat

Inhabits dense pre-montane rainforest and cloudforest on the slopes of tepuis, as well as more open stunted forest on their summits. It is a year-round resident that ranges in elevation between 600 and 2,400 m, but is mostly found above 1,200 m.

Diet

Although its specific diet and most foraging behaviours are unknown, the species is almost entirely terrestrial. It mostly forages alone, hopping and running on the forest floor within dense mossy vegetation.

Did you know?

The only known nest of the tepui antpitta was constructed as a cup of small sticks lined with rootlets and was placed inside a Philodendron linnaei plant.