White-bellied antbird

The white-bellied antbird (Myrmeciza longipes), is a passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Panama, on Trinidad, and across northern South America. It is also called Swainson's antcatcher (usually in historical sources) after William Swainson, who first described it scientifically.^{[citation needed]}

The white-bellied antbird was described by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1825 and given the binomial name Drymophila longipes. It was moved to genus Myrmeciza in 1841 by the English zoologist George Robert Gray with it as the type species. The genus formerly included more than 20 species. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2013 found that Myrmeciza, as then defined, was polyphyletic. In the resulting rearrangement to create monophyletic genera, most of the species then in Myrmeciza were moved to 12 other genera leaving the white-bellied antbird as only the only member of the genus.

The name Myrmeciza derives from the Greek "myrmeco-" (ant) and "-izo" (ambush). The specific epithet also comes from Greek, "longi-" (long) and "-pes" (foot). Both are somewhat inaccurate, as the species is not an obligate army ant follower, does not specialize in eating ants, and does not have unusually long legs.

The white-bellied antbird has these four subspecies:

Some authors have suggested that some of the subspecies warrant treatment as full species.

The white-bellied antbird is about 15 cm (5.9 in) long and weighs an average of about 28 g (0.99 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies M. l. longipes have a cinnamon rufous crown, upperparts, wings, and tail. They have a hidden white patch between their scapulars. Their lesser wing coverts have white or pale buff edges and sometimes cinnamon tips. The sides of their head, their throat, and their upper breast are black and bordered with slate gray. Their lower breast and belly are white, their flanks tawny or buffy, and their undertail coverts tawny. Adult females have similar upperparts to males with the addition of black bars near the end of their wing coverts. The sides of their head are dark brown. Their chin is white, their throat and upper breast ochraceous buff, their lower breast and belly white, their flanks ochraceous buff, and their undertail coverts tawny ochraceous. Both sexes' legs and feet are pinkish gray.

Males of subspecies M. l. panamensis have more black and less white on their underparts than the nominate. M. l. boucardi males have a gray crown; females are richer ochraceous on their throat and breast than the nominate. M. l. griseipectus males have black extending only slightly onto their breast and also large black spots on their wing coverts. Females have more white on their belly than the nominate.^{[excessive citations]}

The white-bellied antbird has a disjunct distribution. The subspecies are found thus:^{[excessive citations]}