Bicolored Antbird

The bicolored antbird (''Gymnopithys bicolor'') is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

Taxonomy and systematics

What is now the bicolored antbird was originally described as ''Myrmeciza leucaspis'' and included what is now the white-cheeked antbird (now ''Gymnopithys leucaspis''). The current bicolored antbird was described as a separate taxon by the American amateur ornithologist George Newbold Lawrence in 1863 and given the binomial name ''Pithys bicolor''. The two were split into separate species based on the results of a genetic study published in 2007 that found that the white-cheeked antbird was more similar to the rufous-throated antbird (''G. rufigula'') than it was to the bicolored antbird.R. Terry Chesser, Richard C. Banks, Carla Cicero, Jon L. Dunn, Andrew W. Kratter, Irby J. Lovette, Adolfo G. Navarro-Sig ebzam, Pamela C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., James D. Rising, Douglas F. Stotz, and Kevin Winker. "Fifty-fifth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union ''Check-list of North American Birds''" page CSviii. ''The Auk'' 2014, vol. 131(4) retrieved April 8, 2023 These three antbirds are the only members of genus ''Gymnopithys''.

The bicolored antbird has these five subspecies:

* ''G. b. olivascens'' ( Ridgway, 1891)
* ''G. b. bicolor'' ( Lawrence, 1863)
* ''G. b. daguae'' Hellmayr, 1906
* ''G. b. aequatorialis'' (Hellmayr, 1902)
* ''G. b. ruficeps'' Salvin & Godman, 1892

Description

The bicolored antbird is long and weighs . The sexes are the same. Adults of the nominate subspecies ''G. b. bicolor'' have a brownish chestnut crown and nape. They have bare blue-gray skin around the eye, a gray forehead, a broad gray band behind the eye, and black cheeks. Their back, rump, wings, and tail are brownish chestnut. Their throat and breast are white with a brown band from their cheek along their flanks.del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Bicolored Antbird (''Gymnopithys bicolor''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bicant2.01 retrieved May 24, 2024

Subspecies ''G. b. olivascens'' of the bicolored antbird is much like the nominate but is dull brown behind the eye rather than gray. ''G. b. daguae'' is like a darker ''olivascens''. ''G. b. aequatorialis'' is darker still, with a rufous forehead and blacker sides. ''G. b. ruficeps'' has a brighter rufous forehead and crown than ''aequatorialis'', is blacker behind the eye, and has a darker reddish back and redder sides.

Distribution and habitat

The subspecies of the bicolored antbird are found thus:

* ''G. b. olivascens'': Caribbean slope of Honduras and Nicaragua through Costa Rica on the Caribbean and Pacific slopes into western Panama
* ''G. b. bicolor'': central and easterm Panama into the Pacific slope of northwestern Colombia's Chocó Department
* ''G. b. daguae'': Pacific slope of western Colombia from Chocó south to Cauca Department
* ''G. b. aequatorialis'': Pacific slope of extreme southwestern Colombia into western Ecuador as far as Azuay Province
* ''G. b. ruficeps'': Andes of northern Colombia between Antioquia and Cesar departments and south in the Magdalena Valley to Boyacá Department

The bicolored antbird primarily inhabits lowland and foothill '' terra firme'' evergreen forest and nearby mature secondary forest. It almost entirely remains in the forest undergrowth. In elevation it reaches in parts of Central America though only in Costa Rica and in Panama. In Colombia it occurs below and in Ecuador below .

Behavior

Movement

The bicolored antbird is not known to migrate.

Feeding

The bicolored antbird is an obligate ant follower that feeds on a wide variety of arthropods that flee foraging army ant swarms. It typically forages individually, in pairs, and in family groups, perching within about of the ground though as high as , and sallying or pouncing to the ground after prey. Up to a dozen birds have been noted at a swarm. It is dominant over smaller antbirds but subordinate to larger species of other families such as woodcreepers.

Breeding

The bicolored antbird breeds mostly between April and September in Costa Rica and from April to December in Panama; its seasons elsewhere are not known. The species is monogamous. Its known nests are cups made from dead palm and other leaves, often with a lining of fungal rhizomorphs. The nest is often placed into a cavity in the top of a stump. The clutch is usually two eggs that are streaked reddish brown on a white or creamy background. Females alone incubate at night and both parents during the day. The incubation period is about 15 to 16 days and fledging occurs 13 to 15 days after hatch.

Vocalization

The bicolored antbird's primary song is "a series of high notes which increase in pitch and pace, then slow down and descend". Its calls are essentially the same as those of the white-cheeked antbird and include a "harsh, vibrant 'chirr'...diminishing slightly in pitch and intensity, and abrupt 'chup' notes, usually doubled but also in groups of 3–4".Zimmer, K., M.L. Isler, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). White-cheeked Antbird (''Gymnopithys leucaspis''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whcant1.01 retrieved May 24, 2024

Status

The IUCN did not recognize the bicolored antbird until 2016, when it was assessed as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered fairly common across its range. It occurs in many protected areas, both governmental and private, and its range "encompasses extensive intact habitat which is not formally protected, but is still at low risk of development in immediate future". However, "local populations in Honduras, Nicaragua and parts of Costa Rica and Panama have declined or disappeared as entire regions have been cleared for human settlement and agriculture".

References

Further reading

* Skutch describes the race ''G. l. olivascen'' which after the split is now ''G. b. olivascens''.

{{Taxonbar, from=Q11843765

bicolored antbird
Birds of Honduras
Birds of Nicaragua
Birds of Costa Rica
Birds of Panama
Birds of Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena
bicolored antbird
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot