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Plumbeous Antbird

Chris Packham presents the Plumbeous antbird in a Bolivian rainforest.

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Chris Packham presents the Plumbeous antbird in a Bolivian rainforest. When army ants go on the march in the Bolivian rainforest, they attract a huge retinue of followers; often heard but rarely seen. These include Antbirds. The Plumbeous Antbird is a lead-coloured bird; the males have a patch of blue skin around their eyes, whilst the females are bright russet below. Like other antbirds they are supreme skulkers, hiding under curtains of dense foliage and only betraying themselves by their calls and song, a particularly fluty call. But you'd think that with a name like antbirds, their diet is easily diagnosed, but surprisingly antbirds rarely eat ants. Instead, most species shadow the columns of army ants which often change nest-sites or raid other ant colonies. As the ants march across the forest floor, they flush insects and other invertebrates which are quickly snapped by the attendant antbirds.

Producer : Andrew Dawes

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1 minute

Last on

Wed 27 Jul 2022 05:58

Plumbeous antbird (Myrmeciza hyperythra)

Webpage image courtesy of J. Dunning / Vireo / naturepl.com

NPL Ref 01471605 漏 J. Dunning / Vireo / naturepl.com

Broadcasts

  • Thu 13 Nov 2014 05:58
  • Wed 11 Nov 2015 05:58
  • Thu 14 May 2020 05:58
  • Mon 7 Jun 2021 05:58
  • Wed 27 Jul 2022 05:58

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