- Order: Passeriformes
- Family: Thamnophilidae
- Polytypic 3 Subspecies
Ocellated Antbird; 26 December 2010 © Scott Olmstead
Many species of antbirds have drab plumage, dominated by the colors black, gray, and brown, but Ocellated Antbird is a remarkably beautiful antbird, with a strikingly ornate pattern. This species occurs from Honduras south to Colombia and western Ecuador; within this region it inhabits the lower strata of lowland humid forest. This striking species is olive above and below with black feather centers and golden fringes to the feather tips, which imparts a scaled appearance to the bird's body and wings; in addition, it has a chestnut collar, black throat and facial border, gray crown, electric blue facial skin, and stout, pink legs. Ocellated Antbird can be located by its call, a rising series of whistles, and is an obligate attendent of army ant swarms, where it is typically dominant to other birds.
Batcheller, Hope. 2012. Ocellated Antbird (Phaenostictus mcleannani), Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=694736
This map is based on maps available from the NatureServe InfoNatura website, for the distribution in Central America and/or Caribbean, and on a map provided by Robert S. Ridgely, for the South American distribution.
The data for the InforNatura maps are provided by NatureServe in collaboration with Robert Ridgely, James Zook, The Nature Conservancy - Migratory Bird Program, Conservation International - CABS, World Wildlife Fund - US, and Environment Canada - WILDSPACE.
- Migration/Movement:Resident (nonmigratory)
- Primary Habitat:Tropical lowland evergreen forest
- Foraging Strata:Terrestrial/Understory
- Foraging Behavior:Sally
- Diet:Terrestrial invertebrates
- Sociality:Pairs/Family Groups
- Mating System:Monogamy
- Nest Form:Cup
- Clutch: 1 - 2
- IUCN Status:Least Concern