Long-winged Antwren

About the Long-winged Antwren

The long-winged antwren (Myrmotherula longipennis) 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.

The long-winged antwren was described by the Austrian ornithologist August von Pelzeln in 1868 and given its current binomial name Myrmotherula longipennis. The long-winged antwren has these six subspecies: M. l. longipennis Pelzeln, 1868

M. l. zimmeri Chapman, 1925 M. l. garbei Ihering, HFA, 1905 M. l. transitiva Hellmayr, 1929 M. l. ochrogyna Todd, 1927 M. l. paraensis (Todd, 1920) Some authors have suggested that some subspecies deserve to be treated as separate species, and M. l. garbei was so treated by one early 20th century author. The long-winged antwren and the band-tailed antwren (M. urosticta) form a superspecies.

The long-winged antwren is 9 to 10.5 cm (3.5 to 4.1 in) long and weighs 8 to 10 g (0.28 to 0.35 oz). It is a smallish bird with a short tail. Adult males of the nominate subspecies M. l. longipennis have dark gray upperparts with a hidden white patch between the... Wikipedia →