Batará crestado

Identificación

The tufted antshrike is a large dark antbird, 20 to 23 cm (7.9 to 9.1 in) long and weighing 50 to 80 g (1.8 to 2.8 oz). The species exhibits significant sexual dimorphism, though both sexes have a crest (that usually is flattened), red irises, and a moderately long black bill with a hook at the end like true shrikes. Adult males are mostly sooty gray with a blackish forehead and crest and browish black wings. Adult females are mostly blackish brown. Their forehead and crest are rufous, their upperparts have cinnamon bars, their tail has faint paler bars, and their underparts have pale buff bars. Subadult males resemble adult males but are more brownish overall.

Taxonomía

The tufted antshrike shares genus Mackenziaena with the large-tailed antshrike (M. leachii). However, there is some doubt about how closely they are related, with evidence that the tufted antshrike is more closely related to the three species of genus Frederickena. Both species are monotypic.

Nombre científico

Mackenziaena severa

Autoridad

(Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823)

Orden

Passeriformes

Familia

Thamnophilidae

Género

Mackenziaena

Distribución y hábitat

Migración

Resident species

Comportamiento

The tufted antshrike is presumed to be a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The tufted antshrike feeds on a variety of large insects and other arthropods; its diet also includes molluscs and small vertebrates including frogs, lizards, snakes, bird eggs and nestlings. It forages singly or in pairs, mostly within about 3 m (10 ft) of the ground but as high as 10 m (35 ft) in dense bamboo and vine tangles. It hops from branch to branch and along the ground, reaching from a perch to glean prey from leaves, stems, and branches. It occasionally drops to the ground to seize prey.<p>The tufted antshrike's eggs have been described as having a clear base color with dark lilac spots ang gray lines. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.<p>The tufted antshrike's song is a "short, slow, slightly accelerating series of 6-8 very high, slightly rising, strident 'sreek' notes". Its call is a "sudden rising shriek, like 'sreeew' ".

Conservación

Tendencia poblacional

stable