| Antpittas are perhaps the least-known, and most difficult to see, family of birds in the neotropics. Although generally discussed in the context of typical antbirds, antpittas and antthrushes belong to their own family, formicariidae. They are shy, generally ground-dwelling, cryptically-colored birds of the deep forest, and searching for them is one of the truly fun challenges of neotropical birding. On my first trip tp Panama, a small group of us stood on a clear forest floor listening to a Streak-chested Antpitta calling, seemingly from right in front of us, but we could not catch a glimpse. My second trip, in September of 2004, brought better luck; one morning, on Pipeline Road, we had point-blank views of a calling Streak-chested Antpitta not ten feet away from us. The modest quality of the images below is due to the low light conditions on the forest floor. Note that in the second image the antpitta appears to be "puffed up" a bit- this is a territorial display. |
| My antpitta sighting in July of 2005 proved to be even more rewarding. I was fortunate to be part of rather small birding group, with only four of us plus our guide, José Soto. It's lot easier for a small group to be quiet when the occasion demands it, and the chase for an antpitta is certainly such a circumstance. José slipped into the forest on Pipeline Road, and drew a calling Streak-chested Antpitta closer with a pitch-perfect imitation of its song (antpittas are extremely territorial, and will respond to vocalization to investigate the identity of an interloper). My group moved into the forest at a signal from José, and waited, almost motionless, for as long as ten minutes for the antpitta to pop into view. When it did so is was less than ten feet away from me, and I was able to anticipate its movements enough to capture some excellent of it hopping into the clear and bursting into song. On a subsequent field trip to Pipeline Road, I was birding alone when I heard a singing Streak-chested Antpitta, and moved close enough to collect some outstanding audio of the bird. |
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