Conopophagidae

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Cladus: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Cladus: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Classis/Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Subclassis/Parvclassis: Neornithes
Infraclassis/Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Tyranni
Infraordo: Tyrannides
Parvordo: Furnariida
Superfamilia: Formicaroidea

Familia: Conopophagidae
Genera: Conopophaga – Pittasoma
Name

Conopophagidae P.L. Sclater & Salvin, 1873

Typus: Conopophaga Vieillot, 1816

References
Primary references

Sclater, P.L. & Salvin, O. 1873. Nomenclator avium neotropicalium: sive avium quae in regione neotropica hucusque repertae sunt nomina systematice disposita adjecta sua cuique speciei patria accedunt generum et specierum novarum diagnoses. Londini [London]: Sumptibus Auctorum. J.W. Elliot. viii + 163pp. BHL DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.61132 Reference page.

Additional references

Rice, Nathan H. 2005a. Phylogenetic relationships of antpitta genera (Passeriformes: Formicariidae). The Auk 122(2): 673-683. DOI: 10.1642/0004-8038(2005)122[0673:PROAGP]2.0.CO;2 AbstractReference page.
Rice, Nathan H. 2005b. Further Evidence for Paraphyly of the Formicariidae (Passeriformes). Condor 107(4): 910-915. DOI: 10.1650/7696.1Full article view Reference page.
Batalha-Filho, H., Pessoa, R.O., Fabre, P.H., Fjeldså, J., Irestedt, M., Ericson, P.G.P., Silveira, L.F. & Miyaki, C.Y. 2014. Phylogeny and historical biogeography of gnateaters (Passeriformes, Conopophagidae) in the South America forests. Molecular Philogenetics and Evolution 79: 422–432. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2014.06.025 PDF.Reference page.

Vernacular names
English: Gnateaters
español: Jejeneros
slovenščina: Muhojedi
中文: 食蚊鸟科

The gnateaters are a bird family, Conopophagidae, consisting of twelve small suboscine passerine species in two genera, which occur in South and Central America.
Taxonomy

The family Conopophagidae was introduced in 1877 by the English zoologist Alfred Henry Garrod.[1][2] The family was formerly restricted to the gnateater genus Conopophaga but a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2005 found that the genus Pittasoma in the family Formicariidae was sister to Conopophaga.[3][4] The association between this genus and Conopophaga is also supported by traits in their natural history, morphology, and vocalizations.[3] The members of this family are very closely related to the antbirds and less closely to the antpittas and tapaculos. Due to their remote and dim habitat, gnateaters are a little-studied and poorly known family of birds.
Description
Black-cheeked gnateater

They are round, short-tailed, and long-legged birds, about 12–15.5 cm (4.7–6.1 in) in length, with Pittasoma being larger than Conopophaga. They are quite upright when standing. All species are sexually dimorphic, although the extent of this varies greatly. Most Conopophaga species have a white tuft behind the eye.[5]
Distribution and habitat

Gnateaters are birds of the forest understory, bamboo stands, and the forest floor. The members of the genus Conopophaga are found in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, east and central Andean slopes, Atlantic Forest, and nearby regions, while the members of the genus Pittasoma are found in the Chocó, and Panama and Costa Rica. Some species live in impenetrable thickets; others live in more open forest. Most are entirely restricted to humid habitats, but several species extend into drier regions in eastern Brazil. While the members of the genus Conopophaga always are found near the forest floor, seldom rising more than 1.5 m above the ground, they also seldom travel or spend much time on the ground (though they do feed there; see diet). The members of the genus Pittasoma are more commonly seen hopping around on the ground.[6]
Behaviour and ecology
Food and feeding

Gnateaters are insectivorous as the group name implies. The members of the genus Conopophaga feed mostly using two methods; one is to perch above the forest floor until prey is spotted, then lunge down to the ground to snatch it; having landed on the ground to snatch a prey item it will not remain on the forest floor for more than a couple of seconds. The second method used is to glean insects directly from the foliage, trunks, and branches of low vegetation. Typical prey items include spiders, caterpillars, insect larvae, grasshoppers and beetles; individuals of some species have also been observed eating fruit and in one case a frog. Very little information is available on the diet of the two Pittasoma, but they are presumably also insectivorous.[7]
Species list

The family contains 12 species in two genera.[8]

Image	Genus	Living species
	Conopophaga Vieillot, 1816	Rufous gnateater, Conopophaga lineata Chestnut-belted gnateater, Conopophaga aurita Black-breasted gnateater, Conopophaga snethlageae Hooded gnateater, Conopophaga roberti Ash-throated gnateater, Conopophaga peruviana Ceará gnateater, Conopophaga cearae Slaty gnateater, Conopophaga ardesiaca Chestnut-crowned gnateater, Conopophaga castaneiceps Black-cheeked gnateater, Conopophaga melanops Black-bellied gnateater, Conopophaga melanogaster
	Pittasoma Cassin, 1860	Black-crowned antpitta, Pittasoma michleri Rufous-crowned antpitta, Pittasoma rufopileatum

References

Garrod, Alfred Henry (1877). "Notes on the anatomy of passerine birds. Part II". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: 447-452 [452].
Ames, P.; Heimerdinger, M.; Warter, S. (1968). "The anatomy and systematic position of the antpipits Conopophaga and Corythopis". Postilla (114).
Rice, Nathan H. (2005). "Phylogenetic relationships of antpitta genera (Passeriformes: Formicariidae)". The Auk. 122 (2): 673–683. doi:10.1093/auk/122.2.673.
Rice, Nathan H. (2005). "Further evidence for paraphyly of the Formicariidae (Passeriformes)". The Condor. 107 (4): 910–915. doi:10.1093/condor/107.4.910.
Whitney 2003, pp. 736–737.
Whitney 2003, pp. 737–738.
Whitney 2003, p. 740.

Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2023). "Antthrushes, antpittas, gnateaters, tapaculos, crescentchests". IOC World Bird List Version 13.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 17 March 2023.

Cited sources

Whitney, B.M. (2003). "Family Conopophagidae (Gnateaters)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Christie, D.A. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 8: Broadbills to Tapaculos. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 732–747. ISBN 978-84-87334-50-4.