Gnateaters | Conopophagidae

Muggeneters | Jejeneros

The gnateaters are a small, mainly South American family represented in this guide by a single species, the Black-crowned Antpitta, which lives in humid lowland forest from eastern Costa Rica to eastern Panama. It was long placed with the antpittas, but DNA studies moved its genus to the gnateaters. These are birds of the dim forest floor, with long, strong legs, a short tail, a large head and a stout bill. This species has a glossy black crown, a chestnut face and finely black-and-white scaled underparts, a pattern that camouflages it well in the shifting light beneath the canopy. It moves over the ground in long hops and searches the leaf litter for insects, spiders and other small animals; at times it follows swarms of army ants to catch fleeing prey. The voice is a series of clear whistles. Little is known about the breeding of this species; the family generally builds an open cup low in the vegetation. It is a shy bird that is seldom seen.