Photo: Hector Bottai / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Spot-backed Antwren
Herpsilochmus dorsimaculatus
Spot-backed Antwren (Herpsilochmus dorsimaculatus) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South America.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Spot-backed Antwren (Herpsilochmus dorsimaculatus) is a member of the Thamnophilidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 9.9 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 Herpsilochmus
- Species dorsimaculatus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 9.9 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Thamnophilidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Not Evaluated
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Spot-backed 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 Spot-backed Antwren is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Spot-backed Antwren (Herpsilochmus dorsimaculatus) is a member of the Thamnophilidae family, within the order Passeriformes. Its range spans South America. Its distribution covers SA nw Amazonia.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 9.9 g, with a wing length of about 4.9 cm and a tail of around 4.2 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 908,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Spot-backed Antwren?
The Spot-backed Antwren is a very small bird that weighs around 9.9 g.
Where does the Spot-backed Antwren live?
The Spot-backed Antwren is found across South America with a range covering SA nw Amazonia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Spot-backed Antwren belong to?
The Spot-backed Antwren (Herpsilochmus dorsimaculatus) belongs to the Thamnophilidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Spot-backed Antwren eat?
The Spot-backed Antwren is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Spot-backed Antwren migrate?
The Spot-backed Antwren is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Spot-backed 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 Spot-backed Antwren make?
1 real field recording of the Spot-backed 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 Spot-backed Antwren's range?
The Spot-backed Antwren has a mapped global range of about 908,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
Explore more birds
More in Thamnophilidae
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Least Concern
Near Threatened
More in Songbirds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
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.