The slender antbird is an Endangered species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is endemic to Brazil.
Region
Eastern Brazil, Atlantic Forest
Typical Environment
Occurs in fragmented Atlantic Forest and transitional woodlands with dense understory, especially vine tangles, bamboo, and second-growth thickets. It favors shaded, humid microhabitats and often keeps near the forest floor. The species tolerates some edge and selectively logged forest but requires continuous understory cover. It may also use shaded agroforestry mosaics when understory structure is retained. Ongoing deforestation and fires reduce suitable habitat and isolate populations.
Altitude Range
400–1000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This elusive antbird is the sole member of its genus and is confined to remnants of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, where it keeps to dense undergrowth. It often forages low to the ground, moving quietly through vine tangles and bamboo. Habitat loss and fragmentation have driven it to Endangered status. Pairs are known to duet, a common trait among antbirds.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low bounding dashes through understory
Social Behavior
Typically found as single birds or pairs maintaining year-round territories. Pairs communicate with soft contact calls and duets while moving through dense cover. Nesting is low in shrubs or understory tangles; both sexes likely share incubation and chick-rearing duties.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a series of clear, whistled notes that accelerate slightly and may be delivered in duet by paired birds. Calls are sharp chips and soft whistles, often given from concealed perches.
Plumage
Compact, slender antbird with a longish tail and smooth, unspotted plumage; sexes are contrasting. Feathers appear tight and sleek, aiding its skulking behavior in dense thickets.
Diet
Consumes small arthropods such as ants, beetles, spiders, and caterpillars gleaned from leaves, twigs, and vine tangles. It probes leaf litter and bark crevices and will sally short distances to pick prey off foliage. While it may occasionally attend small arthropod concentrations, it is not an obligate army-ant follower. Prey is typically taken at low heights within the understory.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in dense, shaded understory, especially vine-choked slopes, bamboo patches, and forest edges with thick ground cover. Often forages within a meter or two of the ground, moving methodically through cover.
