Dusky-throated antshrike

Thamnomanes ardesiacus

Photo by Marc Chrétien (GEPOG)

Common name:
dusky-throated antshrike (en); uirapuru-de-garganta-preta (pt); batara ardoisé (fr); batará gorgioscuro (es); nördlicher schwarzkehlwürgerling (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae

Range:
This South American species is found in northern Brazil and the Guyanas, in southern Venezuela, southern Colombia and through Ecuador and Peru down to northern Bolivia.

Size:
These birds are 13-14 cm long and weigh 13-23 g.

Habitat:
The dusky-throated antshrike is found in the understorey of tropical rainforests and swamp forests, mainly in areas of terra firme.

Diet:
They are insectivorous, searching for their prey on the foliage or by sallying out from a perch. They are also known to join mixed-species flocks and follow ant swarms and will occasionally eat larger prey such as lizards.

Breeding:
Dusky-throated antshrikes nest in a cup made of fungal filaments lined with dry leaves, placed in a fork in a tree, up to 10 m above the ground. There the female lays 2 eggs which are incubated for 11-12 days. There is no information regarding the fledgling period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction, but it is not considered threatened at present.