Specializations of birds that attend army ant raids: An ecological approach to cognitive and behavioral studies

► Neo- and Afro-Tropical forest birds from several families collect food at army ant swarm raids. ► Army ant exploitation is similar to other complex avian foraging tasks and favors avian specializations that promote finding and tracking army ant colonies. ► Ecological and social factors can affect the fitness costs and benefits of army ant exploitation. ► These ecological factors vary geographically and with historical patterns of bird distribution. ► We predict the specializations a bird population exhibits will depend on local ecology and phylogenetic history.