The barred antshrike (''Thamnophilus doliatus'') is a passerine bird in the antbird family. It is found in the Neotropics from Tamaulipas, Mexico, through Central America, Trinidad and Tobago, and a large part of South America east of the Andes as far south as northern Argentina,

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

and Paraguay. There is one accepted record from southern Texas. It is found in a wide range of wooded habitats (even gardens and parks) in both humid and arid regions. Throughout a large part of its range, it is among the most common antbirds.

Taxonomy

The barred antshrike was described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1764 and given the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''Lanius doliatus''. The type locality was subsequently designated as Surinam. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

is from

Neo-Latin New Latin (also called Neo-Latin or Modern Latin) is the revival of Literary Latin used in original, scholarly, and scientific works since about 1500. Modern scholarly and technical nomenclature, such as in zoological and botanical taxonomy ...

''doliatus'' meaning "barred". There are 12 recognised

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

Description

The barred antshrike is in length, and weighs . This species exhibits marked sexual dimorphism. The male of the nominate race is barred all over with black and white, and has a white-based black crest that is raised in display. The female is rufous above with a chestnut crest. The sides of her head and neck are streaked with black, and the underparts are rich buff. In both sexes, the legs are grey, the bill is black and the iris is pale yellow. The

vary primarily in the overall darkness and the amount of barring and hue of the underparts. For example, in the Tobagonian race ''T. d. tobagensis'', males are whiter below, and females darker, than in the

nominate subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

. The most distinctive subspecies is ''T. d. capistratus'' of the Caatinga in north-eastern Brazil, where males have uniform black crown (no white barring to the base) and females have streaked throat and faintly barred belly. It is also the only subspecies where the iris is deep maroon-red. It has been suggested that it should be considered a separate species, the Caatinga barred antshrike.

Behavior

It is typically found as

territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

pairs. The female lays two purple-marked creamy white eggs in a deep cup nest in a shrub, which are incubated by both sexes for 14 days to hatching. The chicks fledge in another 12–13 days. The barred antshrike is an

insectivore A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores wer ...

which feeds on ants and other arthropods at or near the ground; it sometimes follows columns of army ants, and will take small

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

s and berries. It is a skulking species, which may be located by its chuckling ''hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu'' song, often performed as a duet by a pair of birds, or a growled ''graaaaa''.

Gallery

Thamnophilus doliatus -Goias, Brazil-8b.jpg, Juvenile female in Goias, Brazil Thamnophilus doliatus female.jpg, Female, Brazil Thamnophilus doliatus -Panama-8.jpg, Male in Panama Barred antshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus tobagensis) male To.jpg, Male ''T. d. tobagensis'', Tobago Barred antshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus tobagensis) female.jpg, Female ''T. d. tobagensis'', Tobago File:Thamnophilus doliatus macho (Henri Pittier, Venezuela).jpg, Male, Henri Pittier National Park, Venezuela

References

External links

Barred antshike images
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www.surinamebirds.nl
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barred antshrike The barred antshrike (''Thamnophilus doliatus'') is a passerine bird in the antbird family. It is found in the Neotropics from Tamaulipas, Mexico, through Central America, Trinidad and Tobago, and a large part of South America east of the Andes a ...

Birds of Central America Birds of the Amazon rainforest Birds of Colombia Birds of Venezuela Birds of the Guianas Birds of Brazil Birds of Bolivia Birds of Paraguay Birds of Trinidad and Tobago Birds of the Pantanal Birds of the Cerrado Birds of the Caatinga