Goeldi's Antbird

About the Goeldi's Antbird

Goeldi's antbird (Akletos goeldii) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru. Goeldi's antbird was described in 1908 as Myrmelastes goeldii. It was later placed in genus Percnostola and later still in genus Myrmeciza. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2013 found that Myrmeciza, as then defined, was polyphyletic. In the resulting rearrangement to create monophyletic genera, this species was moved to a newly created genus Inundicola. A year later the same authors determined that by the principle of priority the older genus Akletos, which had been introduced by the Polish ornithologist Andrzej Dunajewski in 1948, was proper.

Goeldi's antbird shares genus Akletos with the white-shouldered antbird (A. melanoceps). It is monotypic. Goeldi's antbird is 17 to 18 cm (6.7 to 7.1 in) long and weighs about 42 g (1.5 oz). Both sexes have a ring of bare bluish gray skin around their eye, though the female's is paler, and a red iris. Adult males are mostly black with a usually concealed white patch between their scapulars. Adult females have a... Wikipedia →