The brownish-headed antbird (''Myrmelastes brunneiceps'') is a species of

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...

bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family

Thamnophilidae The antbirds are a large passerine bird family, Thamnophilidae, found across subtropical and tropical Central and South America, from Mexico to Argentina. There are more than 230 species, known variously as antshrikes, antwrens, antvireos, fire ...

, the "typical antbirds". It is found in

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The brownish-headed antbird has a complicated taxonomic history. It was described by John T. Zimmer as ''Schistocichla leucostigma brunneiceps'', a subspecies of the spot-winged antbird (now ''M. leucostigma''). Later authors placed it in genus '' Percnostola''.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 27 July 2024. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved July 28, 2024 A 2007 study of the vocal characteristics of the then many subspecies of the spot-winged found significant differences between the taxa. Based on this evidence the brownish-headed antbird was promoted to species status and given its English name. A 2013 study finalized its move to genus ''

Myrmelastes ''Myrmelastes'' is a genus of passerine birds in the antbird family (Thamnophilidae). The eight recognised species inhabit the understorey of lowland and sub‑montane evergreen forests of the Amazon Basin and the Guiana Shield, from sea level to ...

''.Isler, M.L., Bravo, G.A. and Brumfield, R.T. (2013). Taxonomic revision of ''Myrmeciza'' (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae) into 12 genera based on phylogenetic, morphological, behavioral, and ecological data. Zootaxa 3717(4): 469–497. The brownish-headed antbird is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

Description

The brownish-headed antbird is long. Males have dark gray upperparts. Their wings and tail are blackish gray with wide white tips on the wing

covert Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controver ...

s. Their throat and underparts are medium gray. Females have a dark brown crown and face. Their upperparts are olive-brown. Their wings and tail are blackish brown with pale cinnamon-rufous tips on the wing coverts. Their throat and belly are dark tawny and their flanks and undertail coverts olive-brown.del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Brownish-headed Antbird (''Myrmelastes brunneiceps''), 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.brhant1.01 retrieved July 30, 2024Schulenberg, T.S., D.F. Stotz, D.F. Lane, J.P. O’Neill, and T.A. Parker III. 2010. ''Birds of Peru''. Revised and updated edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Plate 171.

Distribution and habitat

The brownish-headed antbird is found in the southeastern Peruvian departments of

Cuzco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous province and department. The city was the capital of the Inca Empire unti ...

, Madre de Dios, and

Puno Puno ( Aymara and ) is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the Puno Region and the Puno Province with a population of approximately 140,839 (2015 estimate). The city was established in ...

and in west-central La Paz Department in far west-central Bolivia. It primarily inhabits the floor and understorey of '' terra firme''

evergreen forest An evergreen forest is a forest made up of evergreen trees. They occur across a wide range of climatic zones, and include trees such as conifers and holly in cold climates, eucalyptus, live oak, acacias, magnolia, and banksia in more temperate zo ...

. Within the forest it favors poorly drained areas and areas along small watercourses. In elevation it occurs as high as about .

Behavior

Movement

The brownish-headed antbird is believed to be a year-round resident throughout its range.

Feeding

The brownish-headed antbird's diet and foraging behavior are not known but are assumed to be very similar or identical to those of its former "parent" the spot-winged antbird, which see

here Here may refer to: Music * ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994 * ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016 * ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979 * ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012 * ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004 * ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...

Breeding

The brownish-headed antbird's nest is a deep open bag slung between supports. The clutch size is two eggs which are whitish with heavy dark mauve to purplish brown markings. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.

Vocalization

The brownish-headed antbird's song is "a rapid, accelerating, series of high ringing notes: ''tee tee-ti-ti-ti’ti’ti’i’i’I’I’I’i’i’i’i’i’i’ew''". The species' calls apparently are the same as those of the spot-winged antbird, which include a "long, downslurred, typically frequency-modulated whistle", an "abrupt unclear note given singly or in series of 2–5", and a "short rattle".Zimmer, K., M.L. Isler, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Spot-winged Antbird (''Myrmelastes leucostigma''), 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.spwant3.01 retrieved July 29, 2024

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

has assessed the brownish-headed antbird as being of Least Concern. Its population size is not known and is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered uncommon across most of its range, which includes several protected areas. "Regions inhabited by species also encompass extensive areas of intact habitat which are not formally protected, but seem unlikely to be threatened by development in the near future."

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1260672 brownish-headed antbird Birds of the Peruvian Andes brownish-headed antbird brownish-headed antbird