Abstract

Hypophylax, Hypocnemoides and Myrmoderus (Aves, Formicariidae) as army ant followers

Edwin O. Willis

Department of Biology, Universlty of Miami, Coral Gable., Florida 33124 U.S.A., and Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" - UNESP, Caixa Postal 178, Rio Claro, S. Paulo

ABSTRACT

Hylophylax naevia of moderately dense forest undergrowth and H. punctulata of open swamp undergrowth tend to sally for arthropods in low foliage rather than sally to the ground among large ant-following antbirds. They and related Hypocnemoides melanopogon of swamp understory edges are also limited by their microhabitat niches in following ants. Myrmoderus ferrugineus and M. loricatus, ground-walking small antbirds seemingly derived from Hylophylax, follow ants infrequently, probably because ants, large ant-following birds, and predators would attack them if they did so.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I appreciate grants from the National Science Foundation (especially GB-32921), the Chapman Fund of the American Museum of Natural History, and the National Geographic Society. The help of the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia at Manaus, of the Instituto Agronômico and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi at Belém, and of the Instituto Florestal in São Paulo is gratefully acknowledged. Douglas Wechsler helped with data collection at Manaus. Yoshika Oniki helped in many ways.

REFERENCES

Willis, E. O.. 1972. The behavior of Spotted Antbirds. A. O. U. Monog. 10:1-162.

Willis, E. O., in press. The behaviour of Scale-backed Antbirds (Hlophylax poecilinota). Wilson Bull.

Willis, E. O. & Y. Oniki, 1978. Birds and army ants. Ann. Rev. Ecol. System. 9:243-263.

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