The stub-tailed antbird (Sipia berlepschi) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.[2]
| Stub-tailed antbird | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Thamnophilidae |
| Genus: | Sipia |
| Species: | S. berlepschi
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| Binomial name | |
| Sipia berlepschi (Hartert, 1898)
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| Synonyms | |
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Myrmeciza berlepschi | |
Taxonomy and systematics
editThe stub-tailed antbird has a complicated taxonomic history. It was described by the German ornithologist Ernst Hartert in 1898 and given the binomial name Pyriglena berlepschi. The species was named to honor the German ornithologist Hans von Berlepsch.[3] In 1924 it was moved to genus Sipia, and later Sipia was merged into genus Myrmeciza.[4][5] A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2013 found that genus Myrmeciza, as then defined, was polyphyletic. In the resulting rearrangement to create monophyletic genera, genus Sipia was resurrected, and the stub-tailed antbird and several other species were moved to it.[6][2] The stub-tailed antbird is monotypic.[2]
Description
editThe stub-tailed antbird is 13.5 to 14.5 cm (5.3 to 5.7 in) long. Adult males are almost entirely black, with a white patch between their scapulars. Adult females are also mostly black, with white dots on the tips on their wing coverts and white spots on their throat, breast, and upper belly. Those on the belly sometimes have a scaly pattern. Both sexes have a deep red iris.[7][8][9]
Distribution and habitat
editThe stub-tailed antbird is found from central Chocó Department in western Colombia south into northwestern Ecuador's Esmeraldas Province. It is a bird of the Chocó Endemic Bird Area. There it inhabits the understorey of evergreen forest in the wet lowlands and foothills. It favors the forest edge, overgrown openings within the forest, and adjacent mature secondary forest. In elevation it mostly ranges from near sea level to 400 m (1,300 ft) though locally it reaches 650 m (2,100 ft).[7][8][9]
Behavior
editMovement
editThe stub-tailed antbird is believed to be a year-round resident throughout its range.[7]
Feeding
editThe stub-tailed antbird feeds primarily on insects and probably includes other arthropods in its diet. Individuals, pairs, and family groups forage in dense vegetation on the ground and up to about 2 m (7 ft) above it. It seldom joins mixed-species feeding flocks but sometimes attends army ant swarms to capture prey that flees from the ants.[7][8][9]
Breeding
editNothing is known about the stub-tailed antbird's breeding biology.[7]
Vocalization
editThe stub-tailed antbird's song is "a series of downslurred notes that first drop and then rise in pitch, e.g., 'chi-chu-chu-chu-chew-chéw-chéw-chéw' ". Its calls include "a sharp 'chit' and a 'ch-dit' ".[9]
Status
editThe IUCN has assessed the stub-tailed antbird as being of Least Concern. Its population size is not known and is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] It is considered uncommon in Colombia and uncommon to locally fairly common in Ecuador.[7][8] "Most existing Chocó reserves are centred on montane areas, leaving the biologically diverse lowlands and lower foothills relatively unprotected. Establishment of more reserves in this elevational zone is needed."[7]
References
edit- ^ a b BirdLife International (2018). "Stub-tailed Antbird Sipia berlepschi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22701779A130216569. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22701779A130216569.en. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2024). "Antbirds". IOC World Bird List. v 14.1. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Hartert, Ernst (1898). "Pyriglena berlepschi". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 7 (50): 29.
- ^ Hellmayr, Carl Eduard (1924). Catalogue of Birds of the Americas and the Adjacent Islands. Field Museum Natural History Publications. Zoological Series. Vol. 13. Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History. p. 224.
- ^ Robbins, M.B., and R.S. Ridgely. 1991. Sipia rosenbergi (Formicariidae) is a synonym of Myrmeciza [laemosticta] nigricauda, with comments on the validity of the genus 'Sipia. Bulletin British Ornithologists’ Club 111: 11-18.
- ^ Isler, M.L.; Bravo, G.A.; Brumfield, R.T. (2013). "Taxonomic revision of Myrmeciza (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae) into 12 genera based on phylogenetic, morphological, behavioral, and ecological data" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3717 (4): 469–497. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3717.4.3. PMID 26176119.
- ^ a b c d e f g Zimmer, K. and M.L. Isler (2020). Stub-tailed Antbird (Sipia berlepschi), 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.sttant3.01 retrieved August 5, 2024
- ^ a b c d McMullan, Miles; Donegan, Thomas M.; Quevedo, Alonso (2010). Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Bogotá: Fundación ProAves. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-9827615-0-2.
- ^ a b c d Ridgely, Robert S.; Greenfield, Paul J. (2001). The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide. Vol. II. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 429. ISBN 978-0-8014-8721-7.