Castelnau's Antshrike

About the Castelnau's Antshrike

Castelnau's antshrike (Thamnophilus cryptoleucus) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Castelnau's antshrike was originally described as Myrmelastes cryptoleucus. By the principle of priority, Myrmelastes is junior to Myrmeciza. In 1924 it was transferred to that genus and then in 1927 to its current Thamnophilus. Later some authors treated Castelnau's antshrike as a subspecies of the blackish-grey antshrike (T. nigrocinereus), but that approach was not widely accepted. They are now considered sister species. Castelnau's antshrike is monotypic.

Castelnau's antshrike is 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 30 to 35 g (1.1 to 1.2 oz). Members of genus Thamnophilus are largish members of the antbird family; all have stout bills with a hook like those of true shrikes. This species exhibits slight sexual dimorphism. Adult males are mostly black. They have a mostly hidden white patch between their scapulars, white tips on the scapulars, white tips and edges on their wing coverts, sometimes very small white tips on their flight... Wikipedia →