Bird Guide

Pacific Antwren vs Slaty Antwren

Pacific Antwren (Myrmotherula pacifica)

Pacific Antwren

Myrmotherula pacifica

Tiny10 gShrubland

The Pacific antwren is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long and weighs 8.5 to 10 g (0.30 to 0.35 oz). It is a smallish bird with a tiny tail. Adult males have a black and white streaked face. Their crown, back, and rump are black with white streaks. They have a narrow white patch between the shoulders. Their tail is black with white edges and tips to the feathers. Their wings are black with white tips on the coverts and white edges on the flight feathers. Their throat, breast, and belly are white and their flanks and crissum grayer. Black streaks extend from the throat to the flanks and belly. Voice: The Pacific antwren's song is "a fast, spritely chipper that rises slightly in pitch, e.g., 'chee-chee-chi-chich-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch' ". Its calls include "chee-pu", "chee-cher", and "a strident, evenly pitched 'chrreee-chrreee-chrreee-chrreee!' ".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Pacific Antwren
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Esmeraldas: 7 km WNW Lita, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Josh Noseworthy · CC BY 4.0
Slaty Antwren (Myrmotherula schisticolor)

Slaty Antwren

Myrmotherula schisticolor

Tiny10 gForest

The slaty antwren is 9 to 12 cm (3.5 to 4.7 in) long and weighs 8.5 to 10 g (0.30 to 0.35 oz). It is a smallish bird with a short tail. Adult males of the nominate subspecies are mostly dark gray with a hidden white patch between the shoulders. Their tail is dark gray with thin white edges to the feathers. Their wings are dark gray with white tips on the coverts. Their throat and upper breast are black; their crissum is dark gray with whitish tips on the feathers. Adult females have grayish olive upperparts with a browner tail. Voice: The slaty antwren's song is an "upslurred whistle sounding like 'wheet' " that is given as single notes a couple of seconds apart or more quickly as two to four interations. Its calls include a "downslurred nasal whine", the "same type of note turned into nasal 'chirr' by overtones", and "sharp 'chip' notes" that are sometimes repeated as a twitter.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Slaty Antwren
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Morona-Santiago: w-slope Cord. de Cutucú, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Pacific Antwren and Slaty Antwren.