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The feeding habits of understorey birds of two fragments of Atlantic Forest in southeast Brazil were studied, based on faecal content. The 434 samples examined contained 2535 items, principally consisting of invertebrates and fruit, of which 2286 (90.2%) could be identified in detail. Although there was no significant difference between the areas with respect to the occurrence of these two food categories in the diet, there were differences in the relative proportions of some of the invertebrate and plant taxa represented. Some birds that had been considered generalists appeared to have dietary specializations, indicating that existing knowledge of the trophic ecology of neotropical birds is inadequate. To eliminate this critical knowledge gap, it is recommended that studies be undertaken at community level together with examination of faecal samples, the latter being a low-cost, non-invasive, non-lethal technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]