Ancient Antwren (Herpsilochmus gentryi)

Identification & Behavior: ~11.5 cm (4.5 in). The male Ancient Antwren has a black cap bordered by a broad yellowish supercilium. The back is blackish. The wing coverts are black with two white wing bars. The underparts are yellowish-white. The tail feathers are tipped with large white spots. The female is similar but has white streaks/spots on the crown. It forages in the canopy of the forests types growing in poor Amazonian soils. It is often associated with mixed species flocks. It is very similar to the Dugand’s Antwren but is distinguished by having yellowish sides of the head and underparts. It does not overlap with the also similar Yellow-breasted Antwren.

Status: The Ancient Antwren is fairly common and known to occur in a small region north of the Marañon and Amazon Rivers. It also occurs in Ec.

Name in Spanish: Hormiguerito Antiguo.

Sub-species: Ancient Antwren (Herpsilochmus gentryi), Whitney and Alvarez, 1998.

Meaning of Name: Herpsilochmus: Gr. Herpo= to creep about and lokhme= thicket, copse. gentryi: In honor of Alwyn Howard Gentry (1945-1993) US field botanist, Curator of Missouri Botanical Gardens.

See more of the Family Thamnophilidae