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Southern White-fringed Antwren Formicivora grisea
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Brazil
The Southern White-fringed Antwren is found from Colombia into the coastal areas of the Guianas, in the Amazon Basin south of
the river Amazon and along coastal eastern Brazil south to Rio de Janeiro. See the distribution map at Birdlife
International.
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It inhabits similar but denser scrubby habitats as its congener, the Rusty-backed Antwren (F. rufa).
Like the Rusty-backed, it is usually seen in pairs gleaning on leaves. It is relatively confiding but may be difficult to see
given the dense nature of its habitat.
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The male has greyish-brown upperparts with a blacker tail showing broad white tips. It has a white supercilium, a bold white wing-bar and white spots on the wing-coverts. Below, it is mainly black with
a broad white strip extending from the supercilium along the sides and flanks. The male in the second photo is moulting its tail
feathers. |
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The female is generally browner but there are a variety of plumage patterns which is one factor leading to the
belief that more than one species may be involved. The HBW and Birdlife International
checklist now splits the species into Southern White-fringed Antwren as shown here and Northern White-fringed Antwren F. intermedia
distributed to the north of Colombia and Venezuela. Photo 4 is a female of the nominate sub-species F. g. grisea.
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