Undulated Antshrike

Overview

The undulated antshrike (Frederickena unduliger) is a large, dark antbird belonging to the subfamily Thamnophilinae. It is a presumed year-round resident in the western Amazon Basin, found in parts of Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru.

Identification

• Measures 22 to 25 cm in length and weighs 75 to 85 g, featuring a crest, a heavy black bill with a shrike-like hook, and black legs and feet.
• Males are mostly black with irregular thin white bars, while females vary by subspecies, ranging from cinnamon with wavy black bars to paler, bar-less plumage.
• The song of the diversa subspecies is a short series of 8–13 connected 'wuiw' notes that increase in strength and pitch, while a common call is described as a long, nasal, downward-inflected 'churr'.

Habitat

Inhabits lowland evergreen forests, such as terra firme, in the western Amazon Basin of Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru. It strongly favours dense, viny understorey vegetation, particularly near openings formed by fallen trees or along watercourses, up to elevations of 1,100 m.

Diet

Diet is assumed to consist of large insects and other arthropods, though specific details are lacking. It forages singly or in pairs within dense foliage and vine tangles, mostly on the ground and up to 3 m above it, by hopping from branch to branch and occasionally joining mixed-species feeding flocks.

Did you know?

It is considered a probable indicator of high-quality forest, as it is generally absent from disturbed areas.