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Antbird

Antbirds
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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Thamnophilidae
Genera
many, see text
The antbirds are a large family of smallish passerine bird species of subtropical and tropical Central and South America. They are closely related to the Antthrushes and Antpittas in the family Formicariidae.

These are forest birds, but tend to feed on insects at or near the ground, since many are specialist ant eaters, sometimes following columns of army ants.

Many species lack bright colour; brown, black and white being the dominant tones in their appearance.

They lay two or three eggs in a nest in a tree, both sexes incubating.

There are 208 species, variously named as antbirds, antshrikes, antvireos and antwrens. The genus Phlegopsis is the bare-eyes, Pyriglena the fire-eyes and Neoctantes and Clytoctantes are the bushbirds.

Family: Thamnophilidae