The Xingu scale-backed antbird is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is endemic to Brazil.
Region
Eastern Amazon Basin
Typical Environment
Occurs in the lowland forests of the Xingu region in the states of Pará and northern Mato Grosso, Brazil. It inhabits terra firme and transitional forests with dense understory, especially vine tangles and bamboo thickets. The species is most often encountered in mature forest but may persist in selectively logged tracts if understory cover remains. It generally avoids open areas and heavily fragmented forest.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This antbird is part of the Thamnophilidae family and is restricted to the Xingu region of the eastern Brazilian Amazon. It keeps to the shadowy understory, where it often travels in pairs and sometimes follows army-ant swarms to snatch flushed insects. Its distinctive 'scaled' back pattern gives the group its name. Like many Amazonian endemics, it is sensitive to forest fragmentation and degradation.
Temperament
shy and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and direct between understory perches
Social Behavior
Usually found as pairs within a defended territory, sometimes accompanying mixed-species understory flocks. Nests are placed low in dense vegetation; both sexes are thought to participate in parental care. Displays include tail-flicking and soft contact calls to maintain pair cohesion.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a short series of clear whistles, often accelerating or slightly descending. Calls include sharp chips and soft contact notes used between mates in dense cover.
Plumage
Distinctive 'scaled' patterning on the mantle and back formed by pale-edged feathers; sleek, close-lying feathers typical of antbirds.
Diet
Feeds primarily on arthropods such as ants, beetles, spiders, and other small invertebrates. It gleans prey from leaves, twigs, and vine tangles in the lower strata and occasionally sallies to the ground to seize flushed prey. It may shadow army-ant swarms opportunistically to capture insects driven from hiding.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense understory of terra firme forest, especially in vine tangles, bamboo, and along shaded trails. It generally avoids open edges, preferring interior forest with continuous cover.
