Rufescent Antshrike

About the Rufescent Antshrike

The rufescent antshrike (Thamnistes rufescens) is a passerine bird in subfamily Myrmornithinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia and Peru. The taxonomy of the rufescent antshrike is unsettled. In 2018 the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and the Clements taxonomy recognized it as a separate species by splitting it from the russet antshrike (T. anabatinus). However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) treats it as a subspecies of the "eastern russet antshrike" (T. aequatorialis).

The rufescent antshrike is monotypic. The rufescent antshrike is 15 to 16 cm (5.9 to 6.3 in) long. The species has a rather stocky body and a heavy bill with a hooked tip. The sexes have almost identical plumage. Adults have a bright ochraceous face with a fainter supercilium. Their forehead, crown, and upperparts are olive-brown. Their tail is rufous and their wings cinnamon-rufous. Their throat is dull olive-yellow and their breast and belly are ochraceous with an olive tinge. Males have a patch of bright orange-rufous between their shoulders; females lack it. In both sexes their... Wikipedia →