Antbird

Antbird

The antbird family contains over 230 species, variously called antwrens, antvireos, antbirds and antshrikes. They are related to the antthrushes and antpittas, the tapaculos, the gnateaters and the ovenbirds. Antbirds are monogamous, mate for life and defend territories.

About Antbird in brief

Summary AntbirdThe antbird family contains over 230 species, variously called antwrens, antvireos, antbirds and antshrikes. They are related to the antthrushes and antpittas, the tapaculos, the gnateaters and the ovenbirds. Antbirds are monogamous, mate for life, and defend territories. They usually lay two eggs in a nest that is either suspended from branches or supported on a branch, stump, or mound on the ground. Both parents share the tasks of incubation and of brooding and feeding the nestlings. Thirty-eight species are threatened with extinction as a result of human activities. The principal threat is habitat loss, which causes habitat fragmentation and increased nest predation in habitat fragments. The Thamnophilidae antbirds are members of the infraorder Tyrannides, one of two infraorders in the suborder Tyranni. The names refer to the relative sizes of the birds rather than any particular resemblance to the true wrens,. vireos or shrikes. There are two major clades, which are difficult to assign to. Several species are monophyly and monotypic, which seem to seem to be more slender, longer-billed and more slender than other species. The most common clades are the Herpsilbilled species as well as the more slender and monosyllabic antwRens and other antbirds.

The species of the genus Phlegopsis are known as bare-eyes, Pyriglena as fire-eyes and bushbirds, and Clytoctantes as bushbirds. Although the systematics of the Thamnophonidae is based on mid-19th century studies, it has been confirmed it has largely been largely confirmed it is a monophilic form of a family. The family was removed from Formicariidae, leaving behind the antThrushes, antpitas, tapacULos, gnateater and ovenbirds, due to recognition of differences in the structure of the breastbone and syrinx, and Sibley and Ahlquist’s examination of DNA–DNA hybridization. Formerly, that larger family was known as the ‘antbird family’ and the Thammophilinae were ‘typical antbirds’. In this article, “antbird’s” and “Antbird” are used to refer to a family of birds that is not closely related to antbirds, such as the anthrikes, antw Rens and antvires, and the antbirds of South America. The antbirds were once considered a subfamily of the larger family Formicaridae, but this has been renamed ‘Thamnophiliidae’ The family is now thought to occupy a fairly basal position within theinfraorder, i.e. ‘Tyranni’, with regard to their relatives.