Spot-winged Antbirds

Myrmelastes is a genus of passerine birds in the antbird family (Thamnophilidae). The eight recognised species inhabit the understorey of lowland and sub‑montane evergreen forests of the Amazon Basin and the Guiana Shield, from sea level to about 1 200 m. All species regularly follow marching swarms of army‑ants (Eciton spp.), feeding on arthropods flushed by the ants. The generic name, coined by Philip Sclater in 1858, combines the Ancient Greek words for “ant” and “robber.” Molecular data place the genus in the core antbird clade, sister to Hypocnemis. Seven species are currently assessed as Least Concern and one as Near Threatened; nevertheless, progressive deforestation and forest fragmentation are causing local declines .