The Chestnut-backed Antbird (Myrmeciza exsul) can be found in tropical Central and South America – from eastern Nicaragua to western Ecuador, up to an altitude of 900 m.
Breeding / Nesting
Both parents incubate the eggs and raise the chicks. The average clutch consists of 2 purple or red-brown spotted white eggs, They cup nest is constructed from vines, plant fibre and dead leaves and placed low in vegetation.
Antbird Information … Antbird Species
Description
The Chestnut-backed Antbird is heavy-bodied and short-tailed, typically 14 cm long, and weighing 28 g.
It hasa blue bare patch of skin around each eye. The adult male has a blackish head, neck and breast, and the rest of the upperparts, wings and tail are chestnut. The flanks and the lower belly are a somewhat darker brown. The female has a brownish-black head and neck, but this does not extend to the chest.
Young birds are duller and slatier than the adults.
Calls / Vocalizations
Its call has been described as a grating naar; the male’s song as a whistled peeet peeew ; the female’s call is higher pitched.
Diet / Feeding
The Chestnut-backed Antbirds are normally found as pairs throughout the year, but occasionally joins mixed-species feeding flocks or army ants.
They feed on on insects, other arthropods, and sometimes small frogs or lizards.
