Photo: Hector Bottai / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Pygmy Antwren
Myrmotherula brachyura
Pygmy Antwren (Myrmotherula brachyura) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South America.
Found across 8 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Pygmy Antwren (Myrmotherula brachyura) is a member of the Thamnophilidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 6.4 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 brachyura
Quick facts
- Weight
- 6.4 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Thamnophilidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Pygmy 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 Pygmy Antwren is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Pygmy Antwren (Myrmotherula brachyura) belongs to the Thamnophilidae family of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across South America. Its distribution covers SA Amazonia.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 6.4 g, with a wing length of about 4.4 cm and a tail of around 2 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 6.2 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Pygmy Antwren?
The Pygmy Antwren is a very small bird that weighs around 6.4 g.
Where does the Pygmy Antwren live?
The Pygmy Antwren is found across South America with a range covering SA Amazonia, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Pygmy Antwren belong to?
The Pygmy Antwren (Myrmotherula brachyura) belongs to the Thamnophilidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Pygmy Antwren eat?
The Pygmy Antwren is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Pygmy Antwren migrate?
The Pygmy Antwren is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Pygmy 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 Pygmy Antwren make?
1 real field recording of the Pygmy 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 Pygmy Antwren's range?
The Pygmy Antwren has a mapped global range of about 6.2 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
Best Bird Feeders for Garden Songbirds
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.