The Roraiman antbird (''Myrmelastes saturatus'') 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 Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.

Taxonomy and systematics

The Roraiman antbird has a complicated taxonomic history. It was previously considered as a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

of the spot-winged antbird (now ''M. leucostigma''), which at times had been placed in genera '' Percnostola'' and '' Schistocichla''. 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 Roraiman 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 Roraiman antbird has two subspecies, the

nominate Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In th ...

''M. s. saturatus'' ( Salvin, 1885) and ''M. s. obscurus'' ( Zimmer, JT & Phelps, WH, 1946).

Description

The Roraiman antbird is long and weighs . Males of the

nominate subspecies In biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. ...

are mostly blackish slate, with wide white tips on their 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. Females have a dark gray crown and dark cinnamon-brown upperparts. Their wings and tail are blackish brown with pale cinnamon-rufous tips on the wing coverts. Their face is gray. Their throat, breast, and belly are chestnut and their flanks and undertail coverts olive-brown. Both sexes have a brown or gray-brown iris and gray to black legs and feet. Males of subspecies ''M. s. obscurus'' are slightly blacker than nominate males and females have slightly darker underparts than nominate females.Males of both subspecies usually have a black bill though some have a gray base to the

mandible In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...

. Females of both have a black

maxilla In vertebrates, the maxilla (: maxillae ) is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The two maxil ...

and a gray

. del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Roraiman Antbird (''Myrmelastes saturatus''), 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.rorant2.01 retrieved July 30, 2024

Distribution and habitat

The Roraiman antbird is found in the eastern

tepui A tepui , or tepuy (), is a member of a family of table-top mountains or mesas found in northern South America, especially in Venezuela, western Guyana, and northern Brazil. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the ...

region where eastern Venezuela, western Guyana, and far northern Brazil meet. The nominate subspecies occurs on

Mount Roraima Mount Roraima (; ) is the highest of the Pacaraima chain of tepuis (table-top mountain) or plateaux in South America. It is located at the junction of Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. A characteristic large flat-topped mountain surrounded by cliff ...

that straddles the Venezuela-Guyana border. Subspecies ''M. s. obscurus'' is found on tepuis other than Roraima in Venezuela's eastern Bolívar state and adjoining extreme northern

Roraima Roraima ( ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil. Located in the country's North Region, it is the northernmost and most geographically and logistically isolated state in Brazil. It is bordered by the state of Pará to the southeast, Amazonas t ...

state of Brazil. The species inhabits dense understorey in tall

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 ...

on the tepuis, where it favors the margins of clear, swift, streams on steep rocky slopes. In elevation it mostly occurs above in Brazil and Guyana, though there are records as low as in the latter country. In Venezuela it mostly occurs between .

Behavior

Movement

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

Feeding

The Roraiman 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

Nothing is known about the Roraiman antbird's breeding biology.

Vocalization

The Roraiman antbird's song is a "series of slowly starting, accelerating notes, sharply lowered in pitch at heend". The species' "long call" is an abrupt high-pitched note followed by a downslurred whistle. Its other calls are apparently the same as those of the spot-winged antbird, 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 Roraiman antbird as being of Least Concern. It has a restricted range; its population size is not known and is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered uncommon across its range; it does occur in several protected areas. "Regions inhabited by hespecies 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

External links

Roraiman Antbird.
BirdLife Species Factsheet {{Taxonbar, from=Q1264086 Roraiman antbird Birds of the Tepuis Roraiman antbird Roraiman antbird