The chestnut-backed antbird is a passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
Region
Central America and northwestern South America
Typical Environment
Occurs from eastern Honduras through Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama into western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. It inhabits humid lowland and foothill rainforests, especially dense, shaded understory near streams and thickets. The species uses both primary forest and mature secondary growth but generally avoids open or heavily disturbed habitats. It is most often detected by voice and by its tendency to skulk close to the ground.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 900 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This understory antbird often attends army-ant swarms to snatch insects and other small arthropods flushed from the leaf litter. It lives in pairs that keep close contact through frequent duets and soft calls. The species favors intact or well-regenerated lowland rainforest and is sensitive to heavy forest fragmentation.
Female M. e. occidentalis in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Typically found in pairs that maintain year-round territories. Both sexes often duet and remain in close contact while foraging. Nests are usually placed low, and both parents share incubation and chick-rearing duties.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a clear, rhythmic series of rising whistles or bouncing notes, often delivered as a duet. Calls include sharp tchik and soft contact notes used while moving through dense understory.
Plumage
Male with dark slate-gray to blackish head and breast, contrasting with a rich chestnut back, wings, and rump; underparts grayish. Female shows warm rufous to cinnamon face and underparts with similarly chestnut back and wings. Both sexes have dense, smooth plumage suited to moving through tangles.
Diet
Consumes insects, spiders, and other small arthropods, often captured from the leaf litter or low vegetation. Frequently follows army-ant swarms, taking prey flushed by the ants. Occasionally takes small vertebrates when available but primarily hunts invertebrates.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense understory of humid lowland rainforest, often near streams, vine tangles, and thickets. Typically feeds within a meter or two of the ground, moving methodically through cover.
