Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Subsectio: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Infraclassis: Aves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Infraordo: Passerida
Superfamilia: Passeroidea
Familia: Cardinalidae
Genus: Habia
Species: H. atrimaxillaris – H. cristata – H. fuscicauda – H. gutturalis – H. rubica
Name
Habia Blyth, 1840
Typus
Habia rubica
References
Cuvier's Animal Kingdom: 184.
Vernacular names
English: Ant Tanager
español: Habia
suomi: Muurahaistangarat
norsk nynorsk: Maurtanagarar
Diné bizaad: Wóláchííʼ deíłkáahii
русский: Хабии
svenska: Myrtangaror
Ant tanagers are birds of the genus Habia. These are long-tailed and strong billed birds. The males have a red crest and plumage containing red, brown or sooty hues. Females may resemble the males or be largely yellowish or brown in colour. Formerly placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae), they are actually closer to Cardinalis in the Cardinalidae. Consequently, it can be argued that referring to the members of this genus as ant-tanagers is misleading, but no other common name has gained usage.
All species forage for insects, which can be larger than their bills. Fruit is a minor part of their diet. red-throated, sooty and black-cheeked ant tanagers form a superspecies; they inhabit second growth and patchy woodland. They look down from a series of low (2–3 m) perches and take prey from foliage or in flight. They follow army ant swarms to catch insects that are fleeing from the ants.
Red-crowned and crested ant tanagers prefer denser undergrowth and watch from higher (4–5 m) perches, often working upwards through the foliage. They are less likely to follow ant columns.
The female alone builds a cup nest and incubates the two or three eggs. The young leave the nest before they can fly and hide in dense vegetation.
Ant-tanagers have harsh call notes but musical whistled songs.
Species in taxonomic order
| Male | Female | Common Name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
Red-crowned ant tanager | Habia rubica | Mexico south to Paraguay and northern Argentina, and on Trinidad. |
 |
 Costa Rica -female-8.jpg" decoding="async" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Habia_fuscicauda_-near_Rancho_Naturalista%2C_Cordillera_de_Talamanca%2C_Costa_Rica_-female-8.jpg/225px-Habia_fuscicauda_-near_Rancho_Naturalista%2C_Cordillera_de_Talamanca%2C_Costa_Rica_-female-8.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Habia_fuscicauda_-near_Rancho_Naturalista%2C_Cordillera_de_Talamanca%2C_Costa_Rica_-female-8.jpg/300px-Habia_fuscicauda_-near_Rancho_Naturalista%2C_Cordillera_de_Talamanca%2C_Costa_Rica_-female-8.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2555" data-file-height="1825" height="107" width="150" /> |
Red-throated ant tanager | Habia fuscicauda | southeastern Mexico to eastern Panama. |
| Sooty ant tanager | Habia gutturalis | Colombia | ||
 Costa Rica S4E9942 (26631235321) (cropped).jpg" decoding="async" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Black-cheeked_Ant-Tanager_-_Rio_Tigre_-_Costa_Rica_S4E9942_%2826631235321%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/225px-Black-cheeked_Ant-Tanager_-_Rio_Tigre_-_Costa_Rica_S4E9942_%2826631235321%29_%28cropped%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Black-cheeked_Ant-Tanager_-_Rio_Tigre_-_Costa_Rica_S4E9942_%2826631235321%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/300px-Black-cheeked_Ant-Tanager_-_Rio_Tigre_-_Costa_Rica_S4E9942_%2826631235321%29_%28cropped%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="760" data-file-height="709" height="140" width="150" /> |
Black-cheeked ant tanager | Habia atrimaxillaris | Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. | |
 |
Crested ant tanager | Habia cristata | Colombia |
References
ffrench, Richard (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago (2nd ed.). Comstock Publishing. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2.
Hilty, Steven L (2003). Birds of Venezuela. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5.
Morton, Isler & Isler, Tanagers ISBN 0-7136-5116-4
Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-8014-9600-4
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