The spotted antpitta is a species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Region
Amazon Basin
Typical Environment
Occurs throughout lowland Amazonia in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. It inhabits terra firme and seasonally flooded (várzea and igapó) forests, favoring dense understory and leaf-littered floors. Often found along streamside thickets, bamboo patches, and vine tangles. It avoids open areas but can persist in lightly logged or secondary forest with intact understory. Widespread but patchily encountered due to its retiring behavior.
Altitude Range
0–1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The spotted antpitta is a shy, ground-dwelling antpitta of the Amazon Basin that relies on dense understory and cryptic spotting for concealment. It often hops rather than flies, and may occasionally attend army-ant swarms to snatch flushed arthropods. Its clear, carrying whistles are a key way birders detect it in dim rainforest understory. Despite being widespread, it is seldom seen due to its secretive habits.
Temperament
solitary and skulking
Flight Pattern
short, low flights with rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, maintaining small territories on the forest floor. Nests are placed low or near the ground, with both parents involved in care. Courtship and territorial defense rely heavily on vocalizations rather than conspicuous displays.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a clear, far-carrying series of mellow whistles, often slightly upslurred and evenly spaced. Also gives soft contact notes and brief whistles from concealed perches close to the ground.
Plumage
Upperparts warm brown to olive-brown; underparts buffy to whitish, boldly overlaid with dark spotting from throat to belly. Throat often paler with contrasting spots; fine mottling on breast and flanks. Feathers have soft, dense texture suited to a terrestrial, understory lifestyle.
Diet
Feeds primarily on ants, beetles, spiders, and other leaf-litter arthropods, gleaned by hopping and picking from the ground. It probes among leaves and roots and may seize small invertebrates flushed by movement. Occasionally takes small vertebrates and will attend army-ant swarms opportunistically.
Preferred Environment
Forages on the dim forest floor in dense understory, near fallen logs, buttresses, and root tangles. Frequently works along stream margins and in bamboo or vine thickets where leaf litter accumulates.
