Glossy antshrike

The glossy antshrike is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is endemic to Brazil.

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Distribution

Region

Lower Amazon Basin, northeastern Brazil

Typical Environment

Occurs along the Amazon estuary and adjacent lower Amazon floodplains, especially in várzea and river-edge thickets. It also uses mangroves and secondary growth near waterways, often close to sea level. Birds keep to dense understory and midstory tangles, including viney edges and young regrowth. The species tolerates some habitat disturbance if cover remains intact.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 200 m

Climate Zone

Tropical

Characteristics

Size16–18 cm

Wing Span20–24 cm

Male Weight0.028 kg

Female Weight0.026 kg

Life Expectancy6 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

The glossy antshrike is an antbird of Brazil’s lower Amazon, where it favors floodplain and river-edge forests. Males are sleek, glossy black while females are warm rufous-brown, making the pair easy to tell apart. It is typically encountered in pairs or family groups, moving low in dense vegetation and giving sharp, ringing calls.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

secretive and territorial

Flight Pattern

short, direct flights with rapid wingbeats

Social Behavior

Usually found in pairs or small family groups, maintaining territories year-round. Nests are typically small cups placed low in dense vegetation along forest edges or riverine thickets. Pairs communicate with duets and engage in coordinated foraging through understory tangles.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

Delivers a clear, ringing series of whistles, often accelerating slightly, interspersed with sharp chips. Calls include scolding churrs and metallic notes used for contact between pair members.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

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The glossy black cockatoo, is the smallest member of the subfamily Calyptorhynchinae found in eastern Australia. Adult glossy black cockatoos may reach 50 cm (19.5 in) in length. They are sexually dimorphic. Males are blackish brown, except for their prominent sub-terminal red tail bands; the females are dark brownish with idiosyncratic yellow marking around the neck and prominent sub-terminal tail band of red with black bars. Three subspecies have been recognised, although this has been recently challenged, with a detailed morphological analysis by Saunders and Pickup 2023 finding there is cline in body dimensions over the latitudinal range of the species, with the birds from the north of the range smaller than the birds in the south. Saunders and Pickup argued that with no differentiation in bill morphology, little difference in genetic makeup, no differences in plumage pattern or colour, and no differences in diet, there is no justification in subdividing the species.

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