Planalto Slaty Antshrike

Overview

The planalto slaty antshrike (Thamnophilus pelzelni) is a species of typical antbird endemic to Brazil. It is considered a Least Concern species by the IUCN, although its population size is believed to be decreasing in some areas.

Identification

• Approximately 14 cm long, exhibiting significant sexual dimorphism with males having a mixed black and gray forehead and gray back, while females feature a bright rufous crown and cinnamon-rufous upperparts.
• Wings are brownish black or dark brown with white spots and edges, and tails are dark with white tips.
• Song is described as a short, rising, cackling series finishing as a rattle, accompanied by a downslurred, cackling 'krrrruh' call.

Habitat

Found in central and eastern Brazil, from eastern Maranhão to western São Paulo, this bird inhabits deciduous and semi-deciduous forests with heavy vine cover in the north, and gallery forests in the south and west. It typically ranges between 400 and 800 m in elevation, reaching 1,100 m in the central part, and usually occupies the understorey to mid-storey layers.

Diet

The diet consists mainly of insects and other arthropods, with the bird foraging singly, in pairs, or in small family groups. It hops through vegetation to glean prey, making short upward sallies and sometimes following army ant swarms or joining mixed-species feeding flocks.

Did you know?

Although its breeding season is undefined, active nests have been observed in October and January, consisting of cups suspended in branch forks near the ground.