Slaty Antwren
Myrmotherula schisticolor
The Slaty Antwren (Myrmotherula schisticolor) is a uncommon antbirds, antshrikes, antwrens, and antvireo found in 10 countries, weighing about 10 g. The slaty antwren is a small passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds".
About the Slaty Antwren
The slaty antwren is a small passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found from Mexico south through Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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.
What the Slaty Antwren sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Slaty Antwren can be seen all year round, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Slaty Antwren?
- 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). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Slaty Antwren?
- The Slaty Antwren is a tiny sized bird weighing about 10 g.
- Where can you see a Slaty Antwren?
- The Slaty Antwren occurs in 10 countries, including Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama and Nicaragua.
- What does a Slaty Antwren sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Slaty Antwren on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Slaty Antwren?
- The Slaty Antwren is most easily confused with the Pygmy Antwren, the Pacific Antwren and the White-flanked Antwren.
- Is the Slaty Antwren endangered?
- The Slaty Antwren is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Slaty Antwren 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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