Formicariidae

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ground antbirds
Striated antthrush
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Parvorder:
Furnariida
Family: Formicariidae
Gray,[1] 1840
Genera

Formicariidae is a

tapaculos in the family Rhinocryptidae. The family Formicariidae contains 12 species in two genera
.

These are forest birds that tend to feed on insects at or near the ground. Most are drab in appearance with shades of (rusty) brown, black, and white being their dominant tones. Compared to other birds that specialize in following ants, this family is the most tied to the ground. The long, powerful legs (which lend the birds a distinctive upright posture) and an essentially

vestigial
tail aid this lifestyle.

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

Systematics

The antthrushes are similar in appearance to small

rails. Their sexes are alike in plumage, and they walk like starlings. The thrush part of the name refers only to the similarity in size (and in Chamaeza also coloration) to true thrushes, not to an evolutionary
relationship.

Molecular phylogenetic studies indicated that the Formicariidae as previously delimited were highly

Rhinocrypta
, seem to be closer to the antthrushes, but are still considered a distinct family.

The following cladogram shows the phylogeny of the antthrush family. It is based on a large

suboscines by Michael Harvey and collaborators that was published in 2020.[5] The species are those recognised by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC).[6]

Formicarriidae
Formicarius

Rufous-fronted antthrush (Formicarius rufifrons)

Rufous-capped antthrush (Formicarius colma)

Rufous-breasted antthrush (Formicarius rufipectus)

Mayan antthrush (Formicarius moniliger)

Black-headed antthrush (Formicarius nigricapillus)

Black-faced antthrush (Formicarius analis)

Chamaeza

Rufous-tailed antthrush (Chamaeza ruficauda)

Cryptic antthrush (Chamaeza meruloides)

Barred antthrush (Chamaeza mollissima)

Schwartz's antthrush (Chamaeza turdina)

Short-tailed antthrush (Chamaeza campanisona) (Paraguay race - type)

Striated antthrush (Chamaeza nobilis)

Short-tailed antthrush (Chamaeza campanisona) (Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia)

The short-tailed antthrush was found to be

paraphyletic.[5] Eleven subspecies are recognised in several disjunct areas and ornithologists had suspected that more than a single species was involved.[6][7]

Image Genus Living species
Formicarius Boddaert, 1783
Chamaeza Vigors, 1825

References

  1. ^ "Zoonomen Avtax Frames Layout Page".
  2. .
  3. .
  4. .
  5. ^
    hdl:10138/329703. A high resolution version of the phylogenetic tree in Figure 1 is available from the first author's website here
    .
  6. ^ . IOC World Bird List Version 13.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  7. .

External links