Hairy-crested Antbird
Rhegmatorhina melanosticta
The Hairy-crested Antbird (Rhegmatorhina melanosticta) is a rare antbirds, antshrikes, antwrens, and antvireo found in 5 countries, weighing about 31 g. The hairy-crested antbird is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds".
About the Hairy-crested Antbird
The hairy-crested antbird is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The hairy-crested antbird is 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 29 to 33 g (1.0 to 1.2 oz). Both sexes have a large pale bluish white ring of bare skin around the eye, and adults have a bushy crest. Adult males of the nominate subspecies R. m. melanosticta have an olive-tinged gray crest. Their nape, the sides of their neck, and their upperparts, wings, and tail are olive-brown. The wing feathers have rufous edges and the tail is blackish towards its tip. Their lores, face, and throat are black and the rest of their underparts dark olive-brown. Voice: One author described the hairy-crested antbird's song as a "slow series, starting with a few very high, sharp, fluted notes, then descending to a few drawn-out, grating notes". Others describe it as "a short series of wheezy, somewhat nasal whistled notes, e.g., 'wheeeyr, wheer-wheer-wheer-wheer' with descending effect". Its calls include a "harsh, vibrant 'chirr' abrupt 'chip' ".
What the Hairy-crested Antbird sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Hairy-crested Antbird can be seen all year round, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Hairy-crested Antbird?
- The hairy-crested antbird is 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 29 to 33 g (1.0 to 1.2 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Hairy-crested Antbird?
- The Hairy-crested Antbird is a small sized bird weighing about 31 g.
- Where can you see a Hairy-crested Antbird?
- The Hairy-crested Antbird occurs in 5 countries, including Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia and Colombia.
- What does a Hairy-crested Antbird sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Hairy-crested Antbird on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Hairy-crested Antbird?
- The Hairy-crested Antbird is most easily confused with the Bare-eyed Antbird, the Chestnut-crested Antbird and the White-breasted Antbird.
- Is the Hairy-crested Antbird endangered?
- The Hairy-crested Antbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Hairy-crested Antbird for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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