Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dkeats/ / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Ant-eating Chat
Myrmecocichla formicivora
Ant-eating Chat (Myrmecocichla formicivora) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Africa.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Ant-eating Chat (Myrmecocichla formicivora) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 41.6 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 Muscicapidae Chats, Old World Flycatchers
- Genus Myrmecocichla
- Species formicivora
Quick facts
- Weight
- 41.6 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Grassland & open country
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Endangered
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Ant-eating Chat is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of open grassland, it uses a wide range of foraging strategies.
Migration
The Ant-eating Chat is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Ant-eating Chat (Myrmecocichla formicivora) is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across Africa. Its distribution covers AF s Angola, Namibia and Botswana to s South Africa.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 41.6 g, with a wing length of about 9.6 cm and a tail of around 5.7 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 2.1 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Ant-eating Chat?
The Ant-eating Chat is a small bird that weighs around 41.6 g.
Where does the Ant-eating Chat live?
The Ant-eating Chat is found across Africa with a range covering AF s Angola, Namibia and Botswana to s South Africa, where it favours open grassland, scrub and lightly vegetated country.
What family does the Ant-eating Chat belong to?
The Ant-eating Chat (Myrmecocichla formicivora) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Ant-eating Chat eat?
The Ant-eating Chat is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Ant-eating Chat migrate?
The Ant-eating Chat is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Ant-eating Chat 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 Ant-eating Chat make?
1 real field recording of the Ant-eating Chat — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Ant-eating Chat's range?
The Ant-eating Chat has a mapped global range of about 2.1 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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A field guide to the Muscicapidae family — 355 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.