High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The antbirds are a large family, Thamnophilidae, of smallish passerine bird species of subtropical and tropical Central and South America. The family has more than 200 species and includes the antshrikes, antwrens, antvireos, fire-eyes, bare-eyes and bushbirds. They are closely related to the antthrushes and antpittas in the family Formicariidae, the tapaculos, and especially the gnateaters.