Willisornis
Encyclopedia
Willisornis is a genus
of birds in the Thamnophilidae family. These small, strongly sexually dichromatic birds are native to the Guianas
and Amazon Rainforest
in South America
, and often follow army ants
.
, but is now known to be part of a different clade
. The name Dichropogon was used briefly instead, but this name is preoccupied by a genus of asilid flies
(Dichropogon Bezzi, 1910). Until early 2011, the two species of Willisornis were considered conspecific.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of birds in the Thamnophilidae family. These small, strongly sexually dichromatic birds are native to the Guianas
The Guianas
The Guyanas or the Guianas refers to a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories:* French Guiana, an overseas department of France;...
and Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and often follow army ants
Ant-follower
Ant-followers are birds that feed by following swarms of army ants and take prey flushed by those ants. The best known ant-followers are 18 species of antbird in the family Thamnophilidae, but other families of birds may follow ants including thrushes, chats, ant-tanagers, cuckoos, and...
.
Taxonomy
Willisornis has traditionally been included in the genus HylophylaxHylophylax
Hylophylax is a genus of bird in the Thamnophilidae family.-Species:* Spotted Antbird, Hylophylax naevioides* Spot-backed Antbird, Hylophylax naevius* Dot-backed Antbird, Hylophylax punctulatus...
, but is now known to be part of a different clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
. The name Dichropogon was used briefly instead, but this name is preoccupied by a genus of asilid flies
Asilidae
Insects in the Diptera family Asilidae are commonly called robber flies. The family Asilidae contains about 7,100 described species worldwide....
(Dichropogon Bezzi, 1910). Until early 2011, the two species of Willisornis were considered conspecific.
- Scale-backed AntbirdScale-backed AntbirdThe Common Scale-backed Antbird is a species of bird in the Thamnophilidae family, the antbirds. It has often been included in the genus Hylophylax, but is now known to be part of a different clade, leading to its placement in the genus Willisornis...
(Willisornis poecilonota) - Xingu AntbirdXingu AntbirdThe Xingu Antbird is a species of antbird from the southeastern Amazon in Brazil. Until 2011, it was usually included as a subspecies of the Scale-backed Antbird. Its English name refers to the Xingu River. In addition to the nominate subspecies, it includes the subspecies W. v. nigrigula....
(Willisornis vidua)