Antpittas are secretive forest birds. “Eggs on sticks” they are often called. There are more than 60 species of antpittas in the world, and they all live in Central and/or South America. Most species specialize in eating (and following!) ants, as their family name Formicariidae implies (Formica = ant).
For years, antpittas were highly sought after by birders (and still are), but up until recently, antpittas were some of the trickiest birds to find and SEE. Recently, locals in Colombia and Ecuador figured out how to lure these birds out into a forest opening or edge, just temporarily, with worms. Once they figured this out, they started calling to the antpittas, and the birds learned their voices and words and started associated them with the worms. The third trick was timing. The “antpittas whisperers” figured out that in order to seal the deal “on the regular,” they had to visit the antpittas at the same time each day. Rinse. Repeat. During this trip, we had several “antpitta appointments” to attend.
To everyone’s surprise, this Chamí Antpitta and I share the same given name. Not knowing this at the time, the antpitta whisperer started calling out “Linda, Linda, Linda” to which I replied “Aquí!”
Antpittas often don’t come out right away when called, and this being my first antpitta, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But, when Linda popped out of the forest floor on stage left, I almost stopped breathing. Also worth noting is that the Chamí Antpitta is endemic to Colombia.
At this point I thought I might have been hallucinating. The Chestnut-naped Antpitta is found in Colombia and Peru.
Up next: a coffee plantation tour and more antpitta appointments!
Sauntering Birder 