Squamate Antbird

About the Squamate Antbird

The squamate antbird (Myrmoderus squamosus) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is endemic to Brazil. The squamate antbird was described by the Austrian ornithologist August von Pelzeln in 1868 and given the binomial name Myrmeciza squamosa. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2013 found that Myrmeciza was polyphyletic. In the resulting rearrangement to create monotypic genera, four species including the squamate antbird were moved to the resurrected genus Myrmoderus. Some authors have suggested that the squamate antbird and the white-bibbed antbird (M. loricatus) are conspecific but the 2013 study confirmed them as sister species.

The squamate antbird is monotypic. The squamate antbird is 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 16.5 to 20 g (0.58 to 0.71 oz). Adult males have a dark yellowish brown crown and upperparts with a white patch between their scapulars; some black is scattered across their back. They have a long gray-tinged white supercilium on an otherwise mostly black face. Their tail is dark yellowish brown with tawny feather edges. Their flight... Wikipedia →