Red-fronted Antpecker
Encyclopedia
The Red-fronted Antpecker (Parmoptila rubrifrons) is a species of songbird
found in Western Africa. Like all antpecker
s, it is tentatively placed in the of estrildid finch
family
(Estrildidae). It often contains the eastern Jameson's Antpecker
(P. jamesoni) as a subspecies
.
This bird inhabits tropical lowland moist forest in Sierra Leone
, Liberia
, Guinea
, Ghana
and Côte d'Ivoire
. When Jameson's and the Red-fronted antpeckers were still evaluated as one species, they were classified as a species of Least Concern
by the IUCN. However, the Red-fronted Antpecker is declining noticeably due to habitat destruction
and has entirely disappeared from Mali
for example. Therefore its status has been changed to Near Threatened
after the taxonomic split.
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
found in Western Africa. Like all antpecker
Antpecker
The antpeckers, Parmoptila, are a genus of songbirds that range across the tropical forests of western and central Africa. This genus has been placed in a number of families; at present it is placed tentatively with the estrildid finches due to similarities in breeding behaviour.Species are:*...
s, it is tentatively placed in the of estrildid finch
Estrildid finch
The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They can be classified as the family Estrildidae , or as a sub-group within the family Passeridae, which also includes the true sparrows....
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Estrildidae). It often contains the eastern Jameson's Antpecker
Jameson's Antpecker
Jameson's Antpecker is a songbird species found in central Africa. Like all antpeckers, it is tentatively placed in the of estrildid finch family . It has traditionally been included as a subspecies of P. rubrifrons and the common name "Jameson's Antpecker" was sometimes used for both taxa...
(P. jamesoni) as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
.
This bird inhabits tropical lowland moist forest in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
and Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
. When Jameson's and the Red-fronted antpeckers were still evaluated as one species, they were classified as a species of Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
by the IUCN. However, the Red-fronted Antpecker is declining noticeably due to habitat destruction
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
and has entirely disappeared from Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
for example. Therefore its status has been changed to Near Threatened
Near Threatened
Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
after the taxonomic split.
