Stub-tailed Antbird

About the Stub-tailed Antbird

The stub-tailed antbird (Sipia berlepschi) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Colombia and Ecuador. The stub-tailed antbird has a complicated taxonomic history. It was described by the German ornithologist Ernst Hartert in 1898 and given the binomial name Pyriglena berlepschi. The species was named to honor the German ornithologist Hans von Berlepsch. In 1924 it was moved to genus Sipia, and later Sipia was merged into genus Myrmeciza. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2013 found that genus Myrmeciza, as then defined, was polyphyletic. In the resulting rearrangement to create monophyletic genera, genus Sipia was resurrected, and the stub-tailed antbird and several other species were moved to it. The stub-tailed antbird is monotypic.

The stub-tailed antbird is 13.5 to 14.5 cm (5.3 to 5.7 in) long. Adult males are almost entirely black, with a white patch between their scapulars. Adult females are also mostly black, with white dots on the tips on their wing coverts and white spots on their throat, breast, and upper belly. Those on the belly sometimes... Wikipedia →