Antpittas | Grallariidae

Mierpitta's | Tororoíes | Antpittas

A family of suboscine songbirds centred in the Andes, which reaches its greatest richness here: 56 species in four genera, on the floor of humid lowland forest in the Amazonian foothills and the Chocó, but above all in montane and cloud forest along the slopes, up into the scrub at the edge of the páramo. Antpittas are rotund birds with a large head, big dark eyes, long, strong legs and a tail so short as to be barely visible. The plumage is brown, olive and ochre, in some species with a scaled or streaked breast. They stand upright on the forest floor or on a low branch and progress in long hops, bob the body briefly and then stand motionless again. Hopping and tossing leaf litter, they search for earthworms, insects, larvae and other invertebrates. They are shy and far more often heard than seen: the song is a series of clear, hollow whistles, rising or falling in some species, delivered mainly in the half-light of dawn. Many species have small ranges, and new species have been discovered in the Andes even in this century. The nest is a cup of moss, leaves and rootlets, low in a shrub or on a stump, usually with two eggs.