Gray-headed Antbird (Ampelornis griseiceps)

Identification & Behavior: ~13 cm (5.1 in). The Gray-headed Antbird has a gray head, breast, and upper belly. Both sexes have a variable black patch on the throat and breast but it is checkered with gray and poorly defined on the female. The mantle is rufous-brown. The wing coverts are black with white wing bars. The tail is black, graduated, with feathers tipped with white. The Black-crowned Antshrike is much larger, grayer, and has a thick and strong bill.

Status: The Gray-headed Antbird is generally rare in the understory of humid montane forests of the west slope of the Andes where it is often associated with stands of bamboo. It is known to range at elevations between 700-2900 m. The Gray-headed Antbird also occurs in Ec.

Name in Spanish: Hormiguero de Cabeza Gris.

Sub-species: Gray-headed Antbird (Myrmeciza griseiceps) (Chapman), 1923.

Meaning of Name: Myrmeciza: Gr. murmex, murmekos= ant and izo= to ambush. griseiceps: L. griseum= gray and ceps, caput= headed,head.

See more of the Family Thamnophilidae