Photo: Nick Athanas / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Moustached Antwren
Myrmotherula ignota
Moustached Antwren (Myrmotherula ignota) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 8 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Moustached Antwren (Myrmotherula ignota) is a member of the Thamnophilidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 7.1 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Thamnophilidae Antbirds
- Genus Myrmotherula
- Species ignota
Where it lives
Eastern Panama to northwestern Ecuador and western Amazonia
Quick facts
- Weight
- 7.1 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Thamnophilidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Moustached Antwren is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Moustached Antwren is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Moustached Antwren (Myrmotherula ignota) is a member of the Thamnophilidae family, within the order Passeriformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA e Panama to nw Ecuador and w Amazonia.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 7.1 g, with a wing length of about 4.2 cm and a tail of around 1.8 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 1.6 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Moustached Antwren?
The Moustached Antwren is a very small bird that weighs around 7.1 g.
Where does the Moustached Antwren live?
The Moustached Antwren is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA e Panama to nw Ecuador and w Amazonia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Moustached Antwren belong to?
The Moustached Antwren (Myrmotherula ignota) belongs to the Thamnophilidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Moustached Antwren eat?
The Moustached Antwren is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Moustached Antwren migrate?
The Moustached Antwren is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Moustached Antwren endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Moustached Antwren make?
1 real field recording of the Moustached Antwren — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Moustached Antwren's range?
The Moustached Antwren has a mapped global range of about 1.6 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Thamnophilidae
A field guide to the Thamnophilidae family — 240 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.