Stout-billed antshrike found in arid areas of western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. Male is brown and white with a black head, throat, and breast; tail is black with a white tip. Female is brown and buff with a black face speckled with white. Both sexes have a bushy crest and bold wing markings. Birds in the Marañon drainage look a bit different; males have paler faces and less black on the underparts; females have whiter underparts. Inhabits deserts, dry scrub, and deciduous forest understory. Song is a very fast, nasal trill that ends on a longer, higher note.