The spot-backed antbird is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Region
Amazon Basin and Guiana Shield
Typical Environment
Occurs widely from southern Venezuela and the Guianas through northern and western Brazil into eastern Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and northern Bolivia. It favors mature humid terra firme and seasonally flooded (várzea) rainforest with dense understory. Most activity is within the lower strata, typically below 3 m above ground. Frequently uses vine tangles, thickets along streams, and forest edges but avoids open habitats.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This understory antbird inhabits humid lowland forests across the Amazon and Guiana Shield. It often forages near the ground, sometimes attending army-ant swarms to snatch flushed insects. Pairs frequently duet, and their cryptic, spotted upperparts provide excellent camouflage in dappled forest light.
Temperament
secretive and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low to the ground
Social Behavior
Usually found as pairs or family groups within established territories. Nests are placed low in dense vegetation, and both sexes participate in care. Often joins mixed-species understory flocks but stays close to cover.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A series of clear, whistled notes that may accelerate or descend slightly. Pairs often deliver antiphonal duets, with phrases exchanged between mates. Calls include sharp chips and soft contact notes from the understory.
Plumage
Olive-brown to rufescent upperparts heavily spotted with whitish, giving a distinctive speckled back; wings and tail warm brown. Underparts pale buff to grayish with a subtle breast wash and less spotting below. Face typically shows a dusky mask with a pale supercilium.
Diet
Feeds mainly on insects and other arthropods, including beetles, ants, spiders, and caterpillars. Captures prey by gleaning from leaves, vines, and dead foliage, and occasionally by short sallies to the ground. Will at times follow army-ant swarms to seize prey flushed from leaf litter.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense understory of primary and older secondary rainforest, especially near streams and in vine tangles. Often remains within shaded, cluttered microhabitats where it can move quietly between cover.
