The fasciated antshrike is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Central America from Honduras south and in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Region
Central America and northern South America
Typical Environment
Occurs from Honduras south through Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, and throughout much of northern and Amazonian South America, absent only from the southernmost cone. It inhabits humid lowland and foothill forests, forest edges, and tall second growth with dense tangles. Most often found in the midstory and understory, especially along viney thickets and near streams. It tolerates some disturbance but declines where continuous forest is heavily fragmented.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The fasciated antshrike is a boldly patterned antbird of dense tropical lowland forests, often heard before it is seen. Males are strikingly black-and-white barred, while females are rich rufous with finer barring, making the pair easy to tell apart. It often hunts near army-ant swarms but is not an obligate follower, and uses a stout hooked bill to seize large insects and small vertebrates. Its loud, whistled song carries far through the understory.
Temperament
secretive and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between perches
Social Behavior
Usually found in pairs that defend year-round territories in dense understory. Pairs keep close contact with soft calls while foraging and may join mixed-species flocks. The nest is a small cup placed low to mid-level; both sexes share incubation and feeding of young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A loud series of clear whistled notes that may accelerate or rise and fall in pitch, carrying well through thick vegetation. Also gives harsh scolds and churring notes when agitated.
Plumage
Male is heavily barred black-and-white across the head, back, wings, and underparts, with a robust hooked bill. Female is warm rufous-brown overall with dusky or blackish barring most evident on the wings and tail and faint barring below. Both sexes show dense, coarse barring that gives a ‘fasciated’ look.
Diet
Primarily arthropods such as large insects (orthopterans, beetles, mantids), spiders, and caterpillars. Will occasionally take small vertebrates like lizards or frogs. Forages by deliberate gleaning and lunging from perches, using its strong bill to pry prey from curled leaves and bark. Opportunistically attends army-ant swarms to catch fleeing prey but does not rely on them exclusively.
Preferred Environment
Dense understory and vine tangles in humid forest, along forest edges, and near streams or clearings. Often forages 1–6 m above ground in midstory thickets and secondary growth.
