Antthrushes

Antthrushes, part of the Formicariidae family, are small to medium-sized forest-dwelling birds native to tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America. They range in length from 10 to 20 cm (4 to 8 inches), bearing a muted color palette of browns, blacks, and whites. Closely related to ovenbirds and tapaculos, antthrushes have a distinctive upright stance due to their long legs and reduced tails, adaptations that suit their predominantly ground-based insectivorous lifestyle. Both sexes share the incubation duties, laying two or three eggs in nests situated in trees. The family consists of 12 species split across two genera. Previous classifications were reconfigured based on molecular phylogenetics, with some species formerly placed here now reassigned to the gnateater and Grallariidae families. Antthrushes, while resembling small rails and walking like starlings, are not actually related to true thrushes.