Ant-eating Chat

Myrmecocichla formicivora

(Wilkes, J, 1817)
Zorzal-hormiguero Meridional

Family: Muscicapidae
Order: Passeriformes
Class: Aves
Phylum / Division: Chordata
Kingdom: Animalia

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Synonyms: Motacilla formicivora.

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Records from Pretoria

Conservation status according to BirdLife International: Least Concern

Description

The ant-eating chat or southern anteater-chat (Myrmecocichla formicivora) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.
It is found in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.

The species is sexually dimorphic with the male almost entirely black and the female brown with a grey bill and legs.

Source: Wikipedia, article Myrmecocichla formicivora. Content adapted from Wikipedia, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Accessed on 17/07/2026.