Antpittas | Grallariidae

Mierpitta's | Tororoíes

A family of suboscine songbirds centred in the Andes, represented in the region by four species in four genera, from southern Mexico to Panama, on the floor of humid lowland and montane forest. 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. The nest is a cup of moss, leaves and rootlets, low in a shrub or on a stump, usually with two eggs.