Southern white-fringed antwren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Southern white-fringed antwren |
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Formicivora
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grisea
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The southern white-fringed antwren (Formicivora grisea) is a small bird that eats insects. It belongs to the "typical antbirds" family. You can find this bird in several countries, including Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
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About the Southern White-Fringed Antwren
How Scientists Name Birds
The southern white-fringed antwren was first described by a French scientist named Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1775. He wrote about it after seeing a bird from Cayenne, French Guiana. Another scientist, Pieter Boddaert, gave it the scientific name Turdus griseus in 1783.
Today, this bird is placed in the genus Formicivora. This name was created by an English naturalist, William Swainson, in 1824. The name Formicivora comes from Latin words. Formica means "ant," and -vorus means "eating." So, it means "ant-eating." The second part of its name, grisea, is a Latin word meaning "gray."
One Bird or Two?
For a long time, the southern white-fringed antwren and the northern white-fringed antwren were thought to be the same species. They were both called the white-fringed antwren. But scientists later discovered that their songs were very different. Because of these differences, most experts now consider them two separate species.
Different Types of Southern White-Fringed Antwrens
The southern white-fringed antwren has two main types, called subspecies. They are F. g. grisea and F. g. rufiventris.
What Does the Southern White-Fringed Antwren Look Like?
This bird is about 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long. It weighs between 9 and 12 g (0.32 and 0.42 oz).
Male birds of the main subspecies have a white stripe above their eye. This stripe goes down their neck and widens on their sides. Their head and back are dark grayish-brown. They have white edges on their shoulder feathers. Their wings are brownish-black with white tips. Their tail is black with white tips that get bigger on the outer feathers. Their face, throat, and belly are black.
Female birds look a bit different. They have a light brown stripe above their eye. Their wings are browner. Their face is blackish and mottled with buff-white. Their throat and belly are light cinnamon, and their chest is cinnamon with a reddish tint. Young males look like adult females at first. They slowly get their black throat and chest as they grow.
Males of the F. g. rufiventris subspecies look similar to the main type. However, the females of this subspecies have completely reddish-brown underparts.
Where Do Southern White-Fringed Antwrens Live?
The southern white-fringed antwren lives in different areas that are not connected. The main subspecies is found in northern Brazil and the Guianas. It also lives in other parts of the Amazon and eastern Brazil. The F. g. rufiventris subspecies is found in parts of Colombia and Venezuela.
These birds live in many kinds of wooded areas. They prefer the lower and middle parts of the forest edges. The F. g. rufiventris subspecies often lives in areas with white-sand soil or young forests that are growing back. The main subspecies can be found in mangroves, along rivers, in tropical dry forests, and in coastal scrublands. They usually live below 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in elevation. But in Venezuela, they can be found as high as 1,600 m (5,200 ft).
Behavior of the Southern White-Fringed Antwren
Movement
Scientists believe that the southern white-fringed antwren stays in the same area all year round. It does not migrate.
Feeding Habits
The southern white-fringed antwren eats many different kinds of insects and spiders. It usually hunts alone, in pairs, or with its family. Sometimes, it joins groups of different bird species that are feeding together.
It mostly looks for food from the ground up to about 5 m (16 ft) high. But it can go as high as 13 m (43 ft) in some forests. It actively searches for food in thick plants. It picks most of its prey from leaves, vines, branches, and stems. Sometimes, it jumps from a branch to catch insects under leaves. It also flies out from a perch to catch moths in the air. There are a few reports of these birds following swarms of army ants in the Amazon.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The breeding season for the southern white-fringed antwren changes a lot depending on where it lives. It can be anytime between July and March.
Their nest is shaped like a cup. It is made from grass stems and thin plant fibers. The nest hangs in a fork of a branch, usually about 0.5 to 3.5 m (1.6 to 11.5 ft) above the ground. Both the male and female birds help build the nest. They usually lay two eggs. The eggs are creamy or grayish-white with purple markings. We don't know how long the eggs take to hatch or how long it takes for the young birds to leave the nest. We also don't know much about how the parents care for their chicks.
Bird Songs and Calls
The southern white-fringed antwren has several different sounds it makes. One song is a soft "chup" note repeated many times, sometimes up to 50 notes. Another sound is a complex note like "churet" or "chuweet." A third sound is a "kip-chrup," which is two clear notes. There are some small differences in these sounds depending on the bird's location. Both male and female birds sing, usually when they are hidden in leaves, mostly in the morning.
Status of the Southern White-Fringed Antwren
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) says the southern white-fringed antwren is a species of "Least Concern." This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing. It lives in a very large area. We don't know exactly how many of these birds there are, but their numbers seem to be going down. However, no immediate threats have been found.
It is considered uncommon to fairly common across its range. It lives in several protected areas. Its habitat also covers large areas that are not protected but are not likely to be developed soon. This bird can live in different types of growing forests and at the edges of forests. This makes it less likely to be harmed by human activity compared to many other antbird species.
Images for kids
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A southern white-fringed antwren perched on a branch.
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Map showing the distribution of the southern white-fringed antwren.
