Bird Guide

Chestnut-backed Antbird vs Plain Antvireo

Chestnut-backed Antbird (Poliocrania exsul)

Chestnut-backed Antbird

Poliocrania exsul

Small27 gForest

The chestnut-backed antbird is 14 to 15 centimetres (5.5 to 5.9 in) long and weighs about 29 grams (1.0 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a pale blue patch of bare skin around each eye. Adult males of the nominate subspecies P. e. exsul have a slate-black head and neck. Their upperparts are deep chestnut. Their wings and tail are deep chestnut with some black and white on the wing coverts. Their throat, breast, and belly are blackish slate and their flanks, vent area, and undertail coverts are brown. Voice: The chestnut-backed antbird's song is "an easily recognized and imitated set of 2–3 whistled notes, 'peh, peeea' or 'peh, phe, peeéa'...paraphrased as 'come...here' or 'come...right...here' ". Others have written it as "drink beer! or drink more beer!". Its calls include "rah, didit, and pew".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Chestnut-backed Antbird
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · El Oro: Reserva Buenaventura 9 km WNW Piñas, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Aves y Conservacion · Public domain
Plain Antvireo (Dysithamnus mentalis)

Plain Antvireo

Dysithamnus mentalis

Tiny15 gForest

The plain antvireo is 10 to 13 cm (3.9 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 12 to 16 g (0.42 to 0.56 oz). It is a rather chunky bird with a large head and short tail. Adult males of the nominate subspecies D. m. mentalis have a dark gray forehead and crown and blackish ear coverts. Their upperparts are grayish olive with a hidden white patch between the scapulars. Their wings are dark grayish olive with olive edges on the flight feathers, white tips on the grayish olive greater coverts, blackish median coverts with white tips, and blackish lesser coverts. Voice: The plain antvireo's song is generally a "short...series starting with a few...evenly paced, countable notes at same pitch, notes then gradually becoming more abrupt and dropping in pitch, ending in accelerating roll". Authors have described it as a "high nasal watje watjwatwaturururu sounding as a rattle" and as "a nasal barking series...weu-weu-weu-Weu-Weu-Weu-Weu-Weu'weu'wru'weu'u'u'u".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Plain Antvireo
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Napo: km 11.6 Narupa-Loreto road, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: rodrigo_lazaro · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Chestnut-backed Antbird and Plain Antvireo.