Chestnut-crested antbird facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chestnut-crested antbird |
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Rhegmatorhina
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| Species: |
cristata
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The chestnut-crested antbird (scientific name: Rhegmatorhina cristata) is a special type of bird. It belongs to the Thamnophilidae family, which includes many birds found in the Americas. This bird is known for its unique chestnut-colored crest on its head.
You can find the chestnut-crested antbird living in the warm, wet lowland forests of Brazil and Colombia. These birds love places with lots of trees and moisture, which is their natural habitat.
What Makes This Bird Special?
The chestnut-crested antbird is a very interesting bird because of how it finds its food. It's known as a specialist ant-follower. This means it follows swarms of army ants.
How Ant-Following Works
Army ants are amazing hunters. When they move in huge groups, they flush out insects and other small creatures like arthropods (think spiders and centipedes) from the leaves and dirt on the forest floor. The antbird doesn't eat the ants themselves. Instead, it waits for the insects and arthropods to run away from the ants. Then, the antbird quickly swoops in and catches them! It's a clever way to get a meal without having to search too hard.
Who Discovered This Bird?
The chestnut-crested antbird was first officially described by an Austrian scientist named August von Pelzeln. He was an ornithologist, which is a person who studies birds. Pelzeln described this bird in 1868. He gave it the scientific name Pithys cristata at that time. Later, its scientific name was changed to Rhegmatorhina cristata.
