The black-crowned antpitta (''Pittasoma michleri'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the gnateater family, Conopophagidae. It is found in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, and

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is subtropical or tropical moist foothill

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The black-crowned antpitta is one of two species in the genus '' Pittasoma''. They are not in the antpitta family ( Grallaridae). It was formerly placed in the antthrush family ( Formicariidae) before being included in the antpitta family when it was split from the antthrushs. They were reclassified and placed in the family Conopophagidae based on DNA evidence. This placement is further supported by

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

, vocalisations and traits in their natural history. The generic name ''Pittasoma'' comes from the genus '' Pitta'' and the Greek sōma, meaning "body". The specific name is in honor of

Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Nathaniel Michler. Alternative names for the black-crowned antpitta include the black-crowned pittasoma or black-crowned gnatpitta.

Subspecies

There are two recognised subspecies: * ''P. m. michleri -'' Cassin, 1860'':'' The nominate subspecies, it is found in most of

and extreme northwestern

. * ''P. m. zeledoni -'' Ridgway, 1884'':'' Occurs in the Caribbean slope of

and in western Panama. The subspecific name is in honor of José Castulo Zeledón.

Description

The black-crowned antpitta is 18-19 cm long and weighs 99-110 grams.

Distribution and habitat

The black-crowned antpitta is found in Panama, Costa Rica, and northwestern Colombia. It mostly inhabits altitudes between 300 and 1000 m in Costa Rica, but is also found in lowlands in Panama.

Behaviour and ecology

Diet

Feeds on invertebrates such as

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

s, amblypygi, and

scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

s along with small vertebrates such as frogs and small reptiles.

References

Cited text

black-crowned antpitta The black-crowned antpitta (''Pittasoma michleri'') is a species of bird in the gnateater family, Conopophagidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist foothill forests. Taxonomy ...

Birds of Colombia Birds of Costa Rica Birds of Panama

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Tyranni-stub