The antbirds

Antbirds are a wide family of the order Passerines or perching birds. They are closely related to the ant pittas. A total of 224 different species of antbirds can be distinguished and up to 23 can be observed in Costa Rica.

Their range extends from the tropics of Central America to the subtropics of South America. A small to medium-sized species, the antbirds’ wings are often short and rounded and their flight abilities are not particularly well developed. Most antbirds are brownish in color, with females mostly reddish brown and males predominantly gray to black feathers.

They often find their food which consists of small insects, spiders and small lizards on the ground. They owe their name to their habit of following the paths of the army ants in order to eat other insects they startle. It is interesting that only a few species of antbirds actually eat ants.