White-bearded Antshrike - Biatas nigropectus

White-bearded Antshrike Biatas nigropectus

Brazilian name: Papo-branco

Brazil

The White-bearded Antshrike is distributed in south-east Brazil and north-east Argentina. It is found in Atlantic Rain Forest and secondary woodland between 500 and 1200 metres and is always associated with bamboo.

Because of its restricted range it is classified as Vulnerable by Birdlife International .

The bill is stout, horn-coloured and appears to have a slight hook (pace Ridgely & Tudor who say it is hookless and HBW who show the bill to be dark rather than horn).

The male (photos 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6) has a black crown and black lower throat and breast. It has a white upper throat which spreads round the cheeks to a creamy collar on the neck. The mantle and back are olive-brown while the wings and tail are rufous. The female (4th photo) is similar except it lacks the black breast and its crown is rufous-chestnut rather than black. It also has a prominent buffy-white supercilium where the male has only a hint of one.

Female White-bearded Antshrike, Intervales, São Paulo, Brazil, April 2004 - click for larger image

It forages in the bamboo looking for insects and spiders.

There are recordings on xeno-canto, a distribution map from NatureServe and additional information available via Avibase. There is also a page with excellent photos on Wikiaves while the details from BirdLife International (1992) Threatened Birds of the Americas are available here.

Male White-bearded Antshrike, Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 2008 - click for larger image

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