Antbird

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{{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Antbirds | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Aves | ordo = Passeriformes | familia = Thamnophilidae | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = Many, see text. }} The antbirds are a large family of smallish passerine bird species of subtropical and tropical Central and South America. They are closely related to the antthrushes and antpittas in the family Formicariidae.

These are forest birds, but tend to feed on insects at or near the ground. A sizable minority of them specialize in following columns of army ants to eat the small invertebrates that leave hiding to flee the ants.

Many species lack bright colour; brown, black and white being the dominant tones in their appearance.

They lay two or three eggs in a nest in a tree, both sexes incubating.

There are 208 species, variously named as antwrens, antvireos, antbirds and antshrikes. These terms refer to the relative sizes of the birds (in the order given) rather than any particular resemblance to the true wrens, vireos or shrikes.

The genus Phlegopsis is the bare-eyes, Pyriglena the fire-eyes and Neoctantes and Clytoctantes are the bushbirds.

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Species

fr:Thamnophilidae ja:アリドリ科 (Sibley)

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