The white-shouldered antshrike is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Region
Amazon Basin
Typical Environment
Occurs widely across lowland Amazonia in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. It inhabits terra firme and várzea forests, edge thickets, and mature secondary growth, favoring dense vine tangles and bamboo. Most activity is in the shaded understory and lower midstory, often near streams and other watercourses. It tolerates selectively logged forest but generally avoids very open or heavily fragmented habitats.
Altitude Range
0–1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This antshrike is a skulking understory specialist that often travels in pairs and gives distinctive antbird duets. It sometimes follows army-ant swarms to snatch flushed insects but is not an obligate follower. Males prominently flash the white shoulder patch during territorial displays.
Temperament
secretive and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Typically found as pairs that maintain year-round territories and duet frequently to reinforce bonds. Nests are neat cups placed low in dense vegetation; both parents incubate and feed the young. It may join mixed-species understory flocks but often forages independently or as a pair.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
The song is a clear, whistled series delivered at a measured pace, often starting with a slightly longer note and followed by evenly spaced phrases. Pairs sometimes duet with interwoven phrases. Calls include sharp chips and scolding rattles when agitated.
Plumage
Male is glossy black with a bold white shoulder patch and white wing markings; female is warm rufous-brown above with buffy to cinnamon underparts and subtler wing markings. Both sexes have a stout, hooked bill suited to seizing prey in dense cover. Tail is moderately long and often flicked while foraging.
Diet
Feeds mainly on arthropods such as beetles, crickets, katydids, spiders, and caterpillars, seized from leaves, twigs, and vine tangles. It uses perch-and-pounce tactics and short sally-strikes to glean prey from foliage and bark. Occasionally takes small vertebrates like tiny lizards when available. Opportunistically follows army-ant swarms to capture flushed insects.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense understory thickets, vine tangles, bamboo patches, and along shaded stream edges. Most feeding occurs between ground level and the lower midstory where cover is thick.
