The checker-throated stipplethroat (''Epinecrophylla fulviventris''), previously called fulvous-bellied antwren or checker-throated antwren, is a small

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

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 subfamily Thamnophilinae of family

Thamnophilidae The antbirds are a large passerine bird family, Thamnophilidae, found across subtropical and tropical Central and South America, from Mexico to Argentina. There are more than 230 species, known variously as antshrikes, antwrens, antvireos, fire ...

, the "typical antbirds". It is found from Honduras to Ecuador.

Taxonomy and systematics

The checker-throated stipplethroat was originally placed in

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Myrmotherula ''Myrmotherula'' is a genus of insectivorous passerine birds in the antbird, antbird family, Thamnophilidae. These are all small antbirds, measuring . The genus was erected by the English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1858. The type species is the ...

'' and then given the English name checker-throated antwren. Based on genetic and vocal studies it and seven other members of the genus were moved to the newly created genus ''Epinecrophylla''. All were eventually named "stipplethroats" to highlight a common feature and to set them apart from ''Myrmotherula''antwrens.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 26 November 2023. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved November 27, 2023 Isler, M., D. Lacerda, P. Isler, S. Hackett, K. Rosenberg, and R. Brumfield (2006). ''Epinecrophylla, a new genus of antwrens (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae).'' Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 119(4): 522–527 Though three subspecies have been proposed, that treatment has not gained acceptance and major taxonomic systems deem the species

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

.Clements, J. F., P.C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved October 28, 2023HBW and BirdLife International (2023). Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 8. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v8_Dec23.zip retrieved December 28, 2023

Description

The checker-throated stipplethroat is long and weighs . The sexes have nearly identical plumage. Males have a mostly gray face and a black throat with large white spots. Females have a mostly brownish buff face and throat. Adults of both sexes have a gray-brown crown and upperparts and a reddish tail. Their wing

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are sm ...

are blackish brown to olive-brown with yellow-ochre tips and their flight feathers are reddish. Their breast is gray and the rest of their underparts are brownish buff that is darker towards the vent area. Their iris is golden that darkens with age. Juveniles have a gray iris that yellows as they mature.Zimmer, K., M.L. Isler, and D. A. Christie (2020). Checker-throated Stipplethroat (''Epinecrophylla fulviventris''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.chtant1.01 retrieved January 11, 2024

Distribution and habitat

The checker-throated stipplethroat is found on the Caribbean slope from far southeastern Honduras through Nicaragua and Costa Rica into western Panama, on both the Caribbean and Pacific slopes from western Panama into Colombia, east in Colombia into the

Magdalena River The Magdalena River ( es, Río Magdalena, ; less commonly ) is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of ...

valley, and south through western Colombia and Ecuador nearly to Peru. It inhabits

evergreen forest An evergreen forest is a forest made up of evergreen trees. They occur across a wide range of climatic zones, and include trees such as conifers and holly in cold climates, eucalyptus, Live oak, acacias, magnolia, and banksia in more temperate zone ...

in the lowlands and foothills and adjacent mature

secondary forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...

. It favors areas with dense vine tangles that collect debris. In elevation it mostly ranges up to about in Central America, to in Colombia, and to in Ecuador. It does reach in Costa Rica and in Colombia.

Behavior

Movement

The checker-throated stipplethroat is a year-round resident throughout its range.

Feeding

The checker-throated stipplethroat feeds on

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...

s, especially cockroaches (Blattidae), crickets (Gryllidae), katydids (Tettigoniidae), and spiders. It typically forages in pairs or in small family groups and less often by itself, and usually as part of a

mixed-species feeding flock A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species that join each other and move together while foraging. These ar ...

. It occasionally, and for short periods, attends

army ant The name army ant (or legionary ant or ''marabunta'') is applied to over 200 ant species in different lineages. Because of their aggressive predatory foraging groups, known as "raids", a huge number of ants forage simultaneously over a limit ...

swarms. It mostly forages in the forest understory to mid-story; some studies found that it seldom exceeds above the ground, but others have noted it feeding as high as . It forages mostly in vine tangles, on their foliage and in dead leaves and other debris trapped in them. It also forages by hitching along thin branches and capturing prey from their live leaves, in clumps of moss, and from

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

Territorial defense

Male checker-throated stipplethroats display to each other from perches about apart; they lower their heads, puff up their plumage, sway back and forth, and continuously vocalize.

Breeding

The checker-throated stipplethroat's breeding season varies somewhat in different areas. In Panama it appears to nest at any time but mostly in the rainy season. In Costa Rica it nests between March and August; in Colombia its season includes December but is not otherwise defined. Its nest is a deep pouch of plant fibers, fungal filaments, rootlets, and dead leaves with a lining of fine fibers. It is suspended from the last fork of a thin twig, usually below in a sapling but occasionally as high as . The clutch size is two eggs; they have a white or cream base color with blotches, fine spots, and scrawls of reddish-brown, purplish-chestnut, and pale lilac. Both parents incubate the clutch during the day and the female alone at night. The incubation period is 18 to 20 days. Both parents provision nestlings; the time to fledging is not known.

Vocalization

The checker-throated stipplethroat's song is a "series of abrupt, countable, almost stacatto notes...variable in pace, pitch and intensity, but often accelerates and intensifies initially and decelerates and dies off slightly at end. It has been further described as "a descending series of high-pitched notes, 'seee, seee, seeu, seeu' ". Its calls include "a fast rattle and a 'peeyk' note".

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed the checker-throated stipplethroat as being of Least Concern. It has a large range; its population size is not known and is thought to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered fairly common across its range and occurs in several protect areas. "Continued protection of the forests in these and other existing reserves should ensure the maintenance of viable populations of this species."