The banded antbird – sometimes called banded antwren despite not being close to the true antwrens – is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Region
Amazon Basin
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland tropical forest of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. It favors terra firme forest with dense understory, vine tangles, and bamboo or Heliconia thickets, and also uses seasonally flooded forest margins. Typically remains in shaded, cluttered microhabitats a meter or two above the ground, avoiding open edges. It may join mixed-species understory flocks but often forages alone or in pairs.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Despite sometimes being called a banded antwren, it is not closely related to true antwrens and is placed in its own distinctive genus. It is a shy understory specialist that is more often detected by its clear, whistled song than seen. Unlike some antbirds, it is not an obligate ant follower, usually foraging independently in dense thickets.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually found singly or in pairs within dense understory territories. Will occasionally join mixed-species flocks but keeps low and inconspicuous. Nesting is presumed to be a low, well-hidden cup with both sexes participating in care, as in many antbirds.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A clear series of whistled notes, often slightly accelerating or descending, given from low perches. Contact calls are soft chips or tsk notes delivered intermittently while foraging.
Plumage
Finely banded black-and-white mantle and wings with a warm rufous crown and nape; buff underparts often show a narrow dark pectoral band. Tail and upperparts show additional dusky barring; throat usually paler. Overall gives a striking zebra-banded look across the back in contrast with warm tones on the head.
Diet
Primarily small arthropods such as ants, beetles, spiders, and caterpillars. Gleans deliberately from leaves, dead-leaf clusters, vine tangles, and thin branches. Occasionally sallies short distances to snatch prey and may opportunistically attend army ant swarms but is not dependent on them.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in dense, shaded understory of terra firme and seasonally flooded forests, often in bamboo or Heliconia. Foraging height is typically near the ground up to about 3 m in thick cover and along stream margins.
