Spix's warbling antbird or Spix's antwarbler, is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is endemic to Amazonian Brazil.
Region
Amazon Basin (Brazil)
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland humid forest of the Brazilian Amazon, favoring terra firme and seasonally flooded (várzea) forests with dense understory. It also uses bamboo thickets, vine tangles, and edges of secondary growth. Most activity is between ground level and about 5 m in the understory. It can be locally common where suitable thickets persist but becomes scarce in heavily degraded forest.
Altitude Range
0–800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Spix's warbling antbird is one of several species split from the former Warbling Antbird complex and is named after the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix. It lives in dense Amazonian understory and is best detected by its rich antiphonal duets between males and females. Pairs stay together year‑round and are highly territorial. Though not an obligate ant follower, it sometimes forages near army ant swarms.
Temperament
paired and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually found in male–female pairs that maintain territories year‑round. Nests are small cups placed low in dense vegetation; both sexes incubate and feed the young. Often forages quietly but may join mixed-species understory flocks, especially in secondary forest.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A rich, musical series of warbling notes; males and females produce distinct phrases that interlock into tight antiphonal duets. Calls include sharp chips and soft contact notes used to keep pairs coordinated in dense cover.
Plumage
Male is mostly gray above with a black throat and mask, pale underparts, and two bold white wingbars; female is warmer brown above with buff to ochre underparts and dusky streaking on the breast. Both sexes show crisp wingbars and fine barring or spotting on the wings and flanks. Subtle regional variation occurs in the amount of streaking and tone of underparts.
Diet
Primarily small arthropods such as ants, beetles, spiders, and orthopterans. Forages by gleaning from leaves, twigs, and vines, and occasionally makes short sallies to capture prey. Sometimes attends army ant swarms opportunistically to snatch flushed insects but is not an obligate follower.
Preferred Environment
Dense understory of terra firme and várzea forests, vine tangles, and bamboo stands. Often along forest edges, stream margins, and in early to mid‑stage secondary growth where cover is thick.
