Not to be confused with plain-winged antshrike.
| Plain-winged antwren | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
 Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Thamnophilidae |
| Genus: | Myrmotherula |
| Species: | M. behni |
| Binomial name | |
| Myrmotherula behni Berlepsch & Leverkühn, 1890 | |
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The plain-winged antwren (Myrmotherula behni) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Venezuela, and possibly Suriname.
Taxonomy and systematics
The plain-winged antwren has these four subspecies:
- M. b. behni Berlepsch & Leverkühn, 1890
- M. b. yavii Zimmer, JT & Phelps, WH, 1948
- M. b. inornata Sclater, PL, 1890
- M. b. camanii Phelps, WH & Phelps, WH Jr, 1952
The plain-winged antwren, the Alagoas antwren (M. snowi), the unicolored antwren (M. unicolor), and the Yungas antwren (M. grisea) appear to form a monophyletic group with similar vocalizations and habitat requirements.
The plain-winged antwren's specific epithet honors Wilhelm Friedrich Georg Behn.
Description
The plain-winged antwren is 9 to 9.5 cm (3.5 to 3.7 in) long; one female weighed 7.9 g (0.28 oz). It is a smallish bird with a short tail. Adult males of the nominate subspecies M. b. behni are almost entirely gray, with lighter underparts than upperparts. Their chin and the center of their throat and upper breast are black. Adult females have olivaceous brown upperparts with a grayish tinge on the crown and nape and a somewhat duskier tail. Their wings are olivaceous brown. Their throat is whitish and the rest of their underparts olive-buff.
Males of subspecies M. b. yavii are darker than the nominate. Females have dark olive-buff flanks and crissum. Males of subspecies M. b. camanii are intermediate between the nominate and yavii. Females have somewhat less brown underparts than the nominate. Subspecies M. b. inornata is larger than the nominate. Males are darker with a wider black area on the throat. Females have rufescent brown upperparts and an olivaceous brown crissum.
Distribution and habitat
The plain-winged antwren has a highly disjunct distribution. The subspecies are found thus:
- M. b. behni: Serranía de la Macarena in south-central Colombia's Meta Department and locally and patchily in eastern Ecuador between Sucumbíos Province and Zamora-Chinchipe Province
- M. b. yavii: northwestern Bolívar, Venezuela, and separate from there Venezuela's Amazonas state and adjoining extreme northern Amazonas state in Brazil
- M. b. inornata: southeastern Bolívar in Venezuela, extreme northern Roraima in Brazil, and the Pacaraima Mountains in Guyana (and see below)
- M. b. camanii: Cerro Camani, a tepui in Venezuela's Amazonas state
The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society has undocumented sight records, presumably of M. b. inornata, in Suriname, and treats the plain-winged antwren as hypothetical in that country.
The plain-winged antwren inhabits the understorey to mid-storey of foothill and lower montane evergreen forest. In Ecuador it appears to favor damp ravines with stands of Guadua bamboo. In Venezuela and Brazil it ranges between elevations of 1,000 and 1,850 m (3,300 and 6,100 ft), in Colombia between 1,200 and 1,800 m (3,900 and 5,900 ft), and in Ecuador mostly between 800 and 1,600 m (2,600 and 5,200 ft).
Behavior
Movement
The plain-winged antwren is believed to be a year-round resident throughout its range.
Feeding
The plain-winged antwren's diet is not known in detail but is probably mostly mostly insects and spiders. It forages singly, in pairs, or in family groups, and almost always as part of a mixed-species feeding flock. It feeds mostly between about 1 and 3 m (3 and 10 ft) above the ground where the understorey is dense, and between 4 and 10 m (10 and 30 ft) where it is more open. It actively seeks prey especially among dead leaves and also from live leaves, stems, and branches, mostly by reaching, hanging, lunging, and occasionally by fluttering out from a perch.
Breeding
Nothing is known about the plain-winged antwren's breeding biology.
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Songs and calls Listen to plain-winged antwren on xeno-canto |
Vocalization
The plain-winged antwren's song is a "series of high, simple, slightly downslurred 'tiuw' notes". Its calls include "a sharp 'sweeík' and a more nasal 'kyunh' ".
Status
The IUCN has assessed the plain-winged antwren as being of Least Concern. It has a large range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered rare and local throughout its range and occurs in some protected areas. "More survey work is needed in order better to elucidate the distribution, ecology and conservation needs of this poorly known species."
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Plain-winged Antwren Myrmotherula behni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22701530A93834494. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22701530A93834494.en. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2024). "Antbirds". IOC World Bird List. v 14.1. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ 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 26 November 2023. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved November 27, 2023
- 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 26 November 2023. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved November 27, 2023
- von Berlepsch, Hans; Leverkühn, Paul (1890). "Myrmotherula behni, n. sp. Berl. et Lev". Ornis (in German). 1: 25–26. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ Zimmer, K. and M.L. Isler (2020). Plain-winged Antwren (Myrmotherula behni), 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.plwant2.01 retrieved February 15, 2024
- ^ McMullan, Miles; Donegan, Thomas M.; Quevedo, Alonso (2010). Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Bogotá: Fundación ProAves. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-9827615-0-2.
- ^ Ridgely, Robert S.; Greenfield, Paul J. (2001). The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide. Vol. II. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 409. ISBN 978-0-8014-8721-7.
- ^ van Perlo, Ber (2009). A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 244–245. ISBN 978-0-19-530155-7.