The recurve-billed bushbird is an Endangered species of Thamnophilid antbird that inhabits dense stands of secondary vegetation at the northern end of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela. It is named for its extraordinary bill, which curves upwards. Until 2007, the bird was almost unknown in life and apart from earlier specimens it had only been seen in life once at an army ant swarm in Colombia in 1965.
Region
Northern Andes
Typical Environment
Found patchily in the foothills and lower slopes of the northern Andes in northeastern Colombia and adjacent northwestern Venezuela. It favors dense secondary vegetation, bamboo or cane thickets, vine tangles, and regenerating scrub near forest edges. The species often occurs along riparian corridors and in overgrown pastures. It tends to avoid tall, closed-canopy interior forest but benefits from well-structured secondary growth.
Altitude Range
100–1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This little-known antbird was long a mystery and was only reliably observed again in the 2000s after decades with virtually no field records. Its dramatically upcurved bill is an adaptation for prying and probing in bamboo and dense thickets. It persists in patchy populations across the northern Andes of Colombia and Venezuela, mostly in secondary growth. Habitat loss and fragmentation are its primary threats.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats through dense cover
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs that hold small territories within dense thickets. Pairs maintain contact with soft calls and sometimes perform antiphonal duets. Nesting is thought to occur low in dense vegetation, with both adults likely contributing to care of the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A brief series of sharp, buzzy whistles that may accelerate slightly, given from deep cover. Calls include dry chips and raspy notes, often exchanged between pair members.
Plumage
Male is dark slaty to blackish with subdued contrast; female is warm rufous-cinnamon overall. Both sexes have short, rounded wings, a relatively short tail, and a heavy, strongly upcurved bill.
Diet
Primarily consumes arthropods, including insects and their larvae as well as spiders and other small invertebrates. It gleans and probes among bamboo stems, dead leaves, and vine tangles, using its upcurved bill to pry prey from tight spaces. It occasionally attends army-ant swarms to capture flushed insects but more often forages independently at low to mid-levels.
Preferred Environment
Feeds within dense secondary growth, bamboo or cane thickets, and regenerating scrub near edges and along streams. It stays close to cover, moving methodically through tangled vegetation from near the ground up to a few meters.
