Black-crowned Antshrike
Thamnophilus atrinucha
Uncommon in tropical lowlands, mainly in forest borders, plantations, open woodlands, and second growth. Mainly forages at low to middle levels and, like many antbirds, often in pairs, which keep in touch by singing. Male is gray overall with a messy blackish cap, blackish wings with white wingbars and edgings, and white-tipped black tail. Female has similar wing and tail pattern, but is drab brownish overall, paler on underparts. Formerly known as Western Slaty Antshrike.
Identification
The black-crowned antshrike is 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 20 to 28.5 g (0.71 to 1.0 oz). Members of genus Thamnophilus are largish members of the antbird family; all have stout bills with a hook like those of true shrikes. This species exhibits significant sexual dimorphism. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have slaty gray upperparts with a gray forehead, a black crown and nape, a hidden white patch between their scapulars, and white-tipped black uppertail coverts. Their face is grizzled gray. Their wings are black with white tips on the coverts and white or gray edges on the flight feathers. Their tail is black with a white spot at the end of each feather. Their underparts, including the underside of their tail, are slaty gray. Adult females have brown to buffy brown upperparts. Their wings are fuscous-black with brown edges and white tips on the flight feathers. Their underparts are buffy brown to grayish brown. Both sexes have a brownish red to chocolate-brown iris and medium to dark gray legs and feet. Males have a dark gray bill and females light gray. Juveniles have dull cinnamon-brown upperparts and grayish white underparts. Males of subspecies T. a. gorgonae have more gray on their forehead and lighter gray underparts than the nominate. Females of gorgonae have a much darker crown, more rufous upperparts, and darker underparts than the nominate.
Taxonomy
What is now the black-crowned antshrike was long included as a subspecies of Thamnophilus punctatus, which at that time was called the slaty antshrike. Following the results of a study published in 1997, the slaty antshrike was split into six species. The remnant T. punctatus was named the northern slaty antshrike and the new T. atrinucha was named the western slaty antshrike. By 2012 taxonomists determined that T. atrinucha was not closely related to other slaty antshrikes so its English name was changed to black-crowned antshrike and its position within a linear presentation of genus Thamnophilus was adjusted. The black-crowned and black-hooded antshrike (T. bridgesi) are sister species.<p>The black-crowned antshrike has two subspecies, the nominate T. a. atrinucha (Salvin & Godman, 1892) and T. a. gorgonae (Thayer & Bangs, 1905).
- Scientific name
- Thamnophilus atrinucha
- Authority
- Salvin & Godman, 1892
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thamnophilidae
- Genus
- Thamnophilus
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of the black-crowned antshrike has by far the larger range of the two. In Central America it is found on the Caribbean slope from southern Belize through Panama and on the Pacific slope in northwestern Costa Rica and in Panama from Coclé Province east. In South America it is found across northern Colombia including the Magdalena Valley and northwestern Venezuela as far as Trujillo state, and along the Pacific slope of Colombia and Ecuador into far northwestern Peru's Department of Tumbes. Subspecies T. a. gorgonae is found only on Gorgona Island of the southwestern coast of Colombia.<p>The black-crowned antshrike inhabits a variety of forested landscapes including primary and secondary semi-deciduous and evergreen forests. It favors the forest interior but does occur at its edges. It also favors the understorey to mid-storey but occurs all the way to the canopy. In elevation it ranges from sea level to 1,250 m (4,100 ft) in Central America, to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in Colombia, mostly below 1,100 m (3,600 ft) in Ecuador, and to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in Venezuela. In Peru it occurs between 400 and 800 m (1,300 and 2,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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