AVITOPIA - Gnateaters

The family of Gnateaters is restricted to Central America and South America. The body size is between 12 cm and 19 cm. The small birds have a plump body, a very short tail, slender half-length legs with long toes. The bill is quite broad and flat. Their habitat are forests, where they live as shy, secret and solitary inhabitants. They mainly feed on insects, which they catch from a perch on the ground. The nest is cup-shaped and is built at a low height. It has been observed that at least one species is able to simulate an injury and thus lure predators away from the nest.