Plain-winged Antshrike (Thamnophilus schistaceus)

Identification & Behavior: ~14 cm (5.5 in). The male Plain-winged Antshrike is uniformly gray without any markings. Birds north of the Amazon River show a black crown. The female is mostly gray-brown with brown wings and a rufous-brown crown. The iris is red in both sexes. It forages in the mid-story of the forest almost always as part of mixed species flocks. It is very similar to the Mouse-colored Antshrike but is distinguished by an overall darker coloration in the male and a contrasting rufous crown on the female. The iris is red (pale gray in Mouse-colored Antshrike).

Status: The Plain-winged Antshrike is fairly common and widespread in Amazonia where it is known to range up to 1300 m along the east slope of the Andes. It also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Batará de Ala Llana.

Sub-species:   Plain-winged Antshrike (Thamnophilus schistaceus capitalis), P. L. Sclater, 1858.  SE Colombia (E base of Andes S from Meta), E Ecuador and NE Peru (N of R Marañón and R Amazon).
(Thamnophilus schistaceus schistaceus), (d’Orbigny), 1837.  EC & SE Peru (S of R Marañón and R Amazon), S Amazonian Brazil (S of lower R Juruá and middle R Purus, and E from R Madeira to R Tocantins, S to Acre, Rondônia, N & W Mato Grosso and S Pará) and N Bolivia (S to C Santa Cruz).

Meaning of Name:  Thamnophilus: Gr. Thamnos= bush and philos= lover. schistaceus: Gr. Skhistos= cloven, L. schistaceus= slate-grey.

See more of the Family Thamnophilidae