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 - Rufous-backed Antvireo
 - Rufous-backed Antvireo
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Rufous-backed Antvireo Dysithamnus xanthopterus Scientific name definitions

Kevin Zimmer and Morton L. Isler
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2003

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Introduction

The Rufous-backed Antvireo is found locally in the coastal mountains of southeast Brazil from Rio de Janeiro to Paraná. Male Rufous-backed Antvireos have gray on the upperback and forehead, with white spots around its eyes and side of its head, rufous upperparts, a white throat, pale gray underparts and a whitish belly. Females are similar to males in appearance except for a rufous crown, buff facial spotting and olive on the flanks and sides. Rufous-backed Antvireos are generally found in pairs in the mid-story and subcanopy of montane evergreen forest and old second growth. These birds forage through a series of short hops, interspersed with pauses to scan the surrounding vegetation, and quick upward sallies to glean prey from the undersides of overhanging leaves and vines.

Field Identification

12 cm. Male has head and upper back grey, with forehead, side of head to above eye and lores spotted white; remaining upper­parts rufous; centre of throat white; underparts pale grey, whitest on belly, with flanks ochraceous. Female is similar to male, but crown rufous, facial spotting and underparts pale buff, with sides and flanks pale olivaceous.

Systematics History

See D. stictothorax. Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

Coastal mountains of SE Brazil from Rio de Janeiro S to Paraná; recently recorded in Santa Catarina (1).

Habitat

Mid-storey and subcanopy of montane evergreen forest and old second growth, at 750–1700 m.

Movement

Presumed resident.

Diet and Foraging

Little published. Feeds on insects and other arthropods, including flies (Diptera), butterfly and moth larvae (Lepidoptera) and beetles (Coleoptera); observed also to feed on berries of mistletoe (Rapanea). Forages in pairs or individually, mostly 3–12 m above ground, particularly in extremities of mid-storey canopy-tree branches, crowns of bamboo, and woody vine tangles; progresses by short, often wing-assisted hops, separated by pauses of 1–3 seconds to scan for prey. Makes short (to 50 cm), jumping, upward-directed sallies to glean prey from undersides of overhanging vegetation, striking quickly, with little pause or fluttering before dropping back to lower perch; performs such manoeuvres more frequently than do congeners. Also perch-gleans, by reaching or lunging, from all leaf, stem, vine and branch surfaces, with quick bill-stabbing motions. Frequently follows mixed understorey flocks of furnariids and other thamnophilids; not observed at ant swarms.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Loudsong is a rapid (e.g. 20 notes, 2 seconds), slightly accelerating trill, loudest initially (except for the first note), then gradually falling in intensity and pitch. Calls include a short, low-pitched muffled note slightly up and down in pitch, sounding like “quock”; also a short, harsh bark.

Breeding

Little known. Season judged to be Sept–Feb. Single described nest: an open cup of thin plant fibres, surrounded by thick layer of hanging moss (apparently for camouflage), suspended by rim from horizontal fork 1·8 m above ground; contained 2 eggs, white, striped and spotted violaceous and brown, markings concentrated at larger end.

Not globally threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Atlantic Forest Mountains EBA. Uncommon and locally distributed over a small area; as such, the species warrants continued monitoring. Viable populations exist in a few protected parks and reserves, among them Itatiaia National Park and Serra dos Órgãos National Park; also present in Serra do Mar State Park.

Distribution of the Rufous-backed Antvireo - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Rufous-backed Antvireo

Recommended Citation

Zimmer, K. and M.L. Isler (2020). Rufous-backed Antvireo (Dysithamnus xanthopterus), 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.rubant2.01
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