Spot-winged Antshrike

Overview

The spot-winged antshrike (Pygiptila stellaris) is a species of bird in the family Thamnophilidae, known as the typical antbirds. It is a year-round resident found across various South American countries and is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Pygiptila stellaris measures 12 to 13.5 cm in length and has a short tail with a heavy bill.
• Adult males are mostly gray with a black crown, scattered black back feathers, and distinct white spots on the wing coverts.
• Females feature a gray body with a clay tinge on the upperparts and cinnamon-tawny wings that lack spots, differing significantly from the male plumage.
• The song consists of a short series of evenly spaced abrupt notes increasing in intensity, followed by a long whistle that rises and falls slightly in pitch.

Habitat

This species primarily inhabits lowland evergreen forest, including both terra firme and seasonally flooded areas, as well as nearby secondary forest. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, and possibly French Guiana, typically ranging up to 700 m in elevation in Brazil.

Diet

The spot-winged antshrike feeds mostly on arthropods, occasionally consuming frogs. It forages singly, in pairs, or in small family groups by hopping through foliage and probing dead leaf clusters, often joining mixed-species flocks or descending to the ground during army ant swarms.

Did you know?

Both sexes cooperate to build the nest by piling leaves and plant fibers on a tangle of branches and sitting on the pile to shape it. It is the only member of its genus, Pygiptila.