''Microbates'' is a

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

genus in the family Polioptilidae. Its name means "small creeper" or "walker".

Behavior

Feeding

They usually prey upon small

arthropod Arthropods ( ) are invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda. They possess an arthropod exoskeleton, exoskeleton with a cuticle made of chitin, often Mineralization (biology), mineralised with calcium carbonate, a body with differentiated (Metam ...

s. Some species regularly and some often join

mixed-species foraging flock A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock (birds), flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species that join each other and move together while fora ...

Vocalization

Microbates's song is a "a series of soft, thin notes, ''peeee'' or ''eeeeea''" or "a series of soft, clear, plaintive notes, ''teeeeea'' or ''teeeéuw''"

Species

It contains the following species: * Tawny-faced gnatwren (''Microbates cinereiventris'') * Collared gnatwren (''Microbates collaris'')

References

Polioptilidae Bird genera Taxa named by Philip Sclater Taxa named by Osbert Salvin Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Polioptilidae-stub