Gray Antwren (Myrmotherula menetriesii)

Identification & Behavior: ~10 cm (4 in). The male Gray Antwren is gray with black wing coverts and white wing bars. Birds on the south side of the Amazon River have an irregular black patch on the throat, whereas birds on the north side of the Amazon have a gray throat concolor with the rest of the underparts. The female is gray-brown above and rufous-buff below with brown wing bars. Both sexes characteristically wag their tail from side to side. It forages in the mid-story of the forest in Amazonia, often accompanied by mixed-species flocks. It is similar to the Long-winged Antwren but is distinguished by a lighter gray, a more reduced and irregular black patch on the throat (south of the Amazon). The female has a gray back (brown in Long-winged Antwren). The Gray Antwren wags its tail from side to side. The Long-winged Antwren flicks the wings but does not wag the tail.  

Status: The Gray Antwren is fairly common and widespread in Amazonia where it is known to range up to 1100 m along the east slope of the Andes. It also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Hormiguerito Gris.

Sub-species: Gray Antwren (Myrmotherula menetriesii pallida), Berlepsch and E. Hartert, 1902.  SW Venezuela (W Bolívar, Amazonas), NW Brazil (Roraima and Amazonas N of R Amazon), E Colombia, E Ecuador and NE Peru (N of R Amazon and R Marañón).
(Myrmotherula menetriesii menetriesii), (d’Orbigny), 1837.  EC & SE Peru (S of R Amazon and R Marañón), SW Amazonian Brazil (E to R Madeira, S to Acre) and NW Bolivia (W Pando, La Paz, and along the base of the Andes to W Santa Cruz).

Meaning of Name: Myrmotherula: Gr. Combination word myrmothera= a genus (Velliot,1916, antpitta) Myrmotherula= diminutive of Myrmothera. menetriesii: In honor of Édouard Ménétriés (1802-1861) French zoologist, collector in Brazil 1822-1824 and Russia 1829-1830.

assimilis: L. assimilis= similar, like.

See more of the Family Thamnophilidae