White-throated Antbird Oneillornis salvini Scientific name definitions

Sometimes treated as conspecific with the Lunulated Antbird (Gymnopithys lunulatus), which replaces the present species in the north and west of upper Amazonia. The White-throated Antbird occurs fairly commonly across southwest Amazonian Brazil to eastern Peru and north-central Bolivia, within which range it inhabits the understory of lowland terra firme and floodplain forests. This species regularly, perhaps habitually, follows army ant swarms, foraging in pairs, small family groups, or alone, albeit with other obligate ant-following birds; it is dominant over most of the smaller species attending such events, but clearly subordinate to the larger ‘professional’ antbirds. Broadly speaking, male White-throated Antbirds are medium gray with a gleaming white throat and slightly less noticeable supercilium, separated by dark lores, and white-barred tail, while females are predominantly tawny-cinnamon, with some spotting and dark scalloping over the wings and back, and exhibit a narrowly dark-barred tail. However, there is quite considerable intra-populational plumage variation in this species, especially in females.

13–13·5 cm; 22–28 g, mean 25·9 g. Male is mostly grey  , wings somewhat darker, except for white supercilium, anterior ear-coverts, chin and throat ; tail barred blackish-grey and white; underwing-coverts grey. Distinguished from O. lunulatus by barred tail, slightly paler plumage. Female  has crown centre dark olive-brown with faint rufous scaling, nape, head side, throat and upper breast rufous; mantle olive-brown, becoming lightly barred black and rufous on back, rump reddish yellow-brown; remiges broadly edged rufous, wing-coverts and tertials brown, edged rufous; tail rufous, thinly barred black; posterior underparts reddish yellow-brown, becoming olive-brown on flanks; generally darker, with more heavily barred upperparts, in N (“<em>maculatus</em>” ). Subadult male  is dark grey with brown wings, throat patchily white.

E Peru (S of R Amazon and E of R Ucayali, S to drainage of R Madre de Dios), SW Amazonian Brazil (E to R Madeira, S to Acre) and NW & C Bolivia (Pando, La Paz, Beni, Cochabamba).

Loudsong a series (e.g. 6 notes, 4 seconds) of long whistles with little space between, typically individual notes ascend slightly in pitch with sharper upslur at end, while overall each note drops in pitch, and final note(s) of lower intensity, but number of notes highly variable (2–10); variant of loudsong (perhaps a distinct vocalization) with all notes except, typically, the initial one harsh and unmusical. Calls include abrupt “chup” and much longer “chirr”.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Fairly common throughout its relatively small range. This includes some large protected areas, e.g. Manu National Park and Biosphere Reserve and Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone, in Peru, Serra do Divisor National Park, in Brazil, and Madidi National Park, in Bolivia; also extensive areas of intact habitat, particularly in Brazilian part of range, which are unprotected but appear to be at little near-term risk of development. Considered to be of high sensitivity to human disturbance.