An Eye-poppingly Unusual Bird With Metallic Blue Eye Mask, And Extraordinary Pale Scalloped Plumage!
The ocellated antbird (Phaenostictus mcleannani), is a species of antbird in the Thamnophilidae family. More than a little prehistoric-looking this bird has a large area of bare, almost iridescent, bare blue-colored skin around each eye.
Males and females look very much alike, while juveniles look similar but lack the blue facial skin of the adults.
Plumage varies amongst each subspecies, however, overall they have a gray crown, black throat with a buff breast tapering to a spotted belly and back.
This bird can be found in Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador.
They like to live in moist lowland forests, forested foothills, and tall secondary growth wooded areas.
Ocellated antbirds dine mainly on arthropods, insects, and small lizards. Their primary meal is obtained by following army ant trails, which flush other prey out of hiding places.
What is more interesting about the breeding process of this species is how a breeding pair form the center of a group, or clan, that includes their male offspring and their mates. These groups team up to defend their territories against possible rivals. Only recently has an open cup-shaped nest been described with a clutch of two eggs seen within.
Having a large range and stable population the Ocellated Antbird is listed as of Least Concern On the IUCN list of species.
