The Mysterious Ant Bird
of  Costa Rica

The fact that very few people have ever heard of, let
alone know about, the ant bird and its relatives, illustrates
just  how oblivious we are to the wonders of nature and
the ant bird is certainly one of them.

Just imagine what would happen, if the ant birds suddenly
vanished.  As you can see here, their diet consists mainly
of various insects.  If the ant birds disappeared, the insect
population would explode and many plants in the rainforest,
would be assaulted by unprecedented numbers of starving
insects and those magnificent old trees and tropical plants, produce the oxygen that we breath.

It  turns out, that Ant bird eggs, are the food of medium
sized predators.  If those eggs were to disappear, the
animal population would plummet.

Those egg-eaters, in turn, are the diet of large, beautiful
beasts, the Jaguars and Coati Mundis, that live in the
Rainforest in Costa Rica.   So, the extinction of Ant birds,
would cause the natural wildlife of Costa Rica to dwindle
to low endangered levels.

The Ant bird, actually belongs to a family of passerines,
or perching birds, known as Formicariidae.  This is the
most  widespread and highly evolved order of  birds, on
the planet and it includes all perching birds.

It, in turn, is a  member of the entire bird class, the Aves. Even
though the Ant bird is just a tiny leaf on the great tree of life, it, 
just like every  living cell on the planet, is a vital link in the web
of  life.

This small tropical bird, is named the Ant bird, because
many of the species, engage in a "ritual" called  "anting",
and their main diet, also consists of various insects,
including ants.  There are approximately 220 species of
Ant birds and most of them, dwell in the tropical rainforests
of Costa Rica.

There are  those, who nest in the canopy and those
who nest on the ground.  Ant birds usually live in pairs
or alone, although a small number of species,  actually 
do have a social order.

Interestingly, the social "rank" of an Ant bird, is determined
by the size and strength of the ant  column colonies, that  it
owns.   Since birds use ant  armies for eating, they must 
compete for  the  best  ones and usually the adult male
birds get  the best armies, while the fledglings are forced
into less productive areas.

During mating season, the two partners are paired for 
life.  They  both share "babysitting" duty, with the female
usually brooding at night.  At  this time, the pair restricts 
its feeding range, to be close to the nest.  Both parents
incubate, feed and teach the young chicks after hatching.

Most of the Ant birds build their nests on or near the
ground or in the canopy of trees above.  However, those
nests must  not receive any direct sunlight, wherever they
happen to be.

Many species, for example, build nests in the undergrowth,
that  look  like deep, narrow cups in the shade.   The ant
shrikes, on the other hand, may place their nests above
water.   Still other species, build spherical ground nests,
and may even breed in hollow trees.

The eggs laid by the Ant birds are usually stuck together in a
clutch.   They  number two or  three  per clutch and have a 
generally  white hue, often marked with brown, cinnamon, or 
mauve.   For  most  species,  the incubation period, is two
weeks  to  seventeen days.  Compared  with other birds, the
Ant birds mature amazingly quickly after hatching and leave
their nest  very soon.

On their backs, the Ant birds have white signal spots,
which are hidden deep in their plumage.  These are a
form of silent communication  to warn of dangers, among
other  things.   To use them, an Ant bird shows and hides
them in a sequence, using an instinctual "Morse code"  to
interpret  their meaning.

In the rainforest  jungles of Costa Rica, the Ant bird songs,
are said to be, one of the most beautiful and harmonious
sounds in the rainforest.

These  sounds are very different, in each species, ranging
from  flute-like melodies, to the quacking and whistling calls,
of certain Ant Shrikes.

Their beaks have different shapes, in each of the various
species and each shape can suggest  the feeding behavior
and diet, of that particular Ant bird.

The whole body of the Ant bird,  may range from 4 to15
inches in length.  Being specially adapted for an insectivorous
diet,  their bills are usually very strong and slightly curved  downwards.   An interesting feature of the bill, found in some of 
the  larger species, is a "tooth" inside of it, which apparently helps
to chew up the insects.

Because the Ant bird does not rely on flight very much, 
its wings are very short, rounded and weak.   The tail of
the Ant bird, is one thing, that is extremely different from
species to species.

In some birds, it is very short and noticeable only
because the bird usually keeps it erect.  In other species,
however, it  may be longer than its entire body.


When it comes to the lower body and legs, the Ant bird
must compensate in strength and ability, for what it  loses
in  its  wings.  Compared with the rest of the bird's body,
the legs are very long and powerful, enabling it to do various
ground maneuvers, such as running, leaping far and hopping.

They have longer toes, to perch on twigs and branches. 
So the Ant birds, usually hang on the sides,  of pencil
thick  tree or bush shoots,  with their specially adapted
toes.

The Ant bird's  plumage,  is not as colorful as some
of the other more beautiful tropical birds, but it, like
everything else in nature, has its own beauty.

Usually,  the plumage is quite different, for the two sexes.  
In general,  it is darkish for  the male, often black or gray, 
whereas in  the  female,  it is a golden brown  with  white
spots,  on the wings and  tail.  The plumage itself,  is full
and  soft,  especially on the sides and back.

The Ant bird's Feeding Ritual

Ant birds eat many types of ants and seem to be able to  differentiate, between the many different species.
They  also have a  symbiotic  relationship,  with certain
types of ant  species.

Perhaps the most  famous habit,  the ant bird is known for,
is the ritual of "anting".   It seems that the purpose of "anting" 
is  a form of  "feather" maintenance.  The process has two 
variations:  passive and active "anting".

During active "anting", a bird sneaks up on a large group
of ants and quickly crushes them.   It then takes the resulting
material and applies it to its plumage, so that the various liquids,  penetrate deep into it's feathers.

The purpose of this practice, is to use the formic acid,
found in ants, as an insecticide.  Through this method, the
bird rids itself of lice and mites,  that may be bothering it,
under its  feathers.  In addition, the ant oils, can help to
supplement  the bird's own natural secretions and protect 
the  feathers.


In a less common type of  "anting",  passive "anting",  the
ant bird stands in a way, that lets ants penetrate into its
plumage and eat all the insects, that are bothering it.
For  this to be successful, it  is important, that  the bird only
uses  those ants, that don't  sting and will not hurt the bird,
in any way.

Recent studies have shown, that ant birds utilize "anting"
most  frequently,  during a period of molt or when its  feathers
are  growing out of the skin and irritating it, in the process.

The most  interesting way of feeding, involves using columns
of ants,  like hunting dogs!  These  "ants"  scavenge insect
hives,  in large groups, forcing many of the insects to flee.
Meanwhile, an Ant bird is quietly lurking behind the ants.

As  soon as an unfortunate insect, leaves its hideout, the
Ant bird grabs it,  with its specialized beak and devours  it.
This  "ant  hunting"  ritual, is a very exciting spectacle to watch.
 

Because ant birds are insectivorous, they find their food in
the dense, compost  floors of the rainforest  and are hidden
most of  the time.
 

Their  little fluffy wings, are poorly developed, so the Ant
birds use flight,  only as a means of avoiding danger  and
for reaching their nest  sites.


The ant birds, may also eat various crickets, bugs, beetles,
spiders, centipedes,  wood lice and even snails.  Larger
species, can sometimes devour  "whole  frogs",  lizards, lice,
young bird chicks and possibly even small snakes, a
remarkable diet for a  bird  so small!

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