The black antshrike is a species of insectivorous bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Colombia and Panama.
Region
Chocó–Darién lowlands
Typical Environment
Occurs from eastern Panama into northwestern Colombia, primarily in humid lowland and foothill forests. It favors dense understory, vine tangles, and second-growth thickets near forest edges and along streams. The species is typically encountered in pairs moving quietly through shaded midstory layers. It will venture into selectively logged or regenerating forest but is most common in intact evergreen forest. Local presence can be patchy where understory has been heavily cleared.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Males are uniformly black while females are rich rufous-brown, a striking example of sexual dichromatism common in antbirds. Pairs often keep close contact with soft duets and are more often heard than seen in dense understory. They forage methodically in tangles and viney thickets and may occasionally attend army-ant swarms to snatch flushed insects.
Temperament
secretive and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, usually low through dense cover
Social Behavior
Typically found in pairs that maintain small territories and keep contact with soft calls and duets. Nests are cup-shaped and placed low in shrubs or saplings; both sexes share incubation and chick-rearing. They seldom join mixed-species flocks, preferring to work through dense vine tangles at a measured pace.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a series of sharp, slightly rising whistles that accelerate and sometimes end in a buzzy flourish. Calls include harsh scolds and churring notes, often exchanged antiphonally by a pair.
Plumage
Male is uniformly black with a smooth, satiny finish; wings and tail concolorous, lacking wingbars. Female is rich rufous-brown overall with slightly darker wings and tail and subtle mottling on the underparts.
Diet
Feeds mainly on insects and other small arthropods such as beetles, orthopterans, spiders, and caterpillars. Prey is taken by gleaning from leaves, twigs, and vine tangles, with occasional short sallies to snatch flushed insects. It may sporadically attend army-ant swarms but is not an obligate ant follower.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense understory and midstory of humid forest, especially in viney thickets, along forest edges, and near streams. Often keeps to shaded interiors where it can work methodically through tangles and saplings.
