The chestnut-crested antbird is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Brazil and Colombia.
Region
Northwestern Amazon Basin
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland evergreen rainforest of northwestern Brazil (primarily Amazonas near the Rio Negro basin) and adjacent southeastern Colombia. It favors terra firme forest with dense understory and extensive leaf litter. The species is closely tied to active army-ant swarms, accompanying them through interior forest. It generally avoids open areas and heavily flooded varzea, keeping to shaded interior habitats.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 700 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
An obligate ant-follower, the chestnut-crested antbird feeds at swarms of army ants that flush insects from the leaf litter. Males are dark with a striking chestnut crest, while females are warmer brown and also crested. It spends most of its time near the forest floor and can be hard to see, often betrayed only by its song and the commotion of an ant swarm.
Temperament
secretive and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low to the ground
Social Behavior
Usually found in pairs that maintain territories but regularly join mixed ant-following assemblages at army-ant swarms. Nests are typically low, with both parents participating in incubation and care. Pairs communicate with soft contact calls while moving through dense understory.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a series of clear, whistled notes that may accelerate or slightly descend, carrying well in dense forest. Calls include sharp chips and soft contact notes given while following ant swarms.
Plumage
Compact antbird with an erectile, shaggy crest; feathers are smooth elsewhere with minimal barring. Male is mostly dark soot-brown to blackish; female is warmer brown with paler underparts.
Diet
Primarily takes arthropods—beetles, crickets, spiders, and other invertebrates—flushed by raiding army ants. It sallies to the ground or low perches to snatch prey exposed by the ants’ advance. Occasional small vertebrates may be taken opportunistically but are uncommon.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in the shaded understory and on the forest floor, especially along the paths of active army-ant columns. Often keeps within a few meters of the swarm front, moving methodically through tangles and leaf litter.
