Bolivian Slaty Antshrike

Overview

The Bolivian slaty antshrike (Thamnophilus sticturus) is a species of bird in the family Thamnophilidae, the typical antbirds. It is a small, stout-billed bird found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Identification

• Males exhibit a gray forehead, black crown, and gray back with black spots, while females possess a bright reddish-brown crown and yellowish olive-brown upperparts.
• The species is approximately 14 cm in length and weighs between 18 and 20 g.
• Both sexes have black or dark brown wings with white spots and edges, and tails featuring white tips and spots.
• The song begins slowly and accelerates into a rattling trill that rises in frequency and intensity before fading.

Habitat

This species inhabits the understorey to mid-storey of dry semi-deciduous forest, gallery forest, more humid forest patches, and secondary forest. Its range covers the central Bolivian departments of Beni, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz, adjoining parts of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, and the Alto Paraguay department in far northern Paraguay. It occupies elevations up to 600 m in Brazil and 950 m in Bolivia.

Diet

The diet is assumed to consist of arthropods, though specific details are not documented. The bird forages singly or in pairs within the understorey to mid-storey, typically between 1 and 7 m above the ground. It hops through vegetation to glean prey from leaves, branches, and vines, and occasionally makes short upward sallies.

Did you know?

Despite being a member of the antbird family, the Bolivian slaty antshrike is not known to join mixed-species feeding flocks or follow army ant swarms.