Black-hooded Antshrike Thamnophilus bridgesi Scientific name definitions

The Black-hooded Antshrike is an attractive Central American endemic, which is confined to the Pacific slope of Costa Rica and adjacent western Panama. Males are largely deep black, becoming marginally paler over the ventral region, with three rows of well-marked white spots on the wings, while females are principally brown, with a contrasting black tail, equally prominent white wing-spots, and a narrowly but obviously white-streaked head and underparts. Black-hooded Antshrikes are found in a variety of forest types, including mangrove, from the lowlands to the foothills, within which they usually prefer vine tangles and other dense vegetation close to gaps and edges. Pairs or lone individuals generally forage, very sluggishly, from close to the ground to 15 m above it, and regularly associate with mixed-species flocks. The species has apparently disappeared from many areas of Panama as a result of deforestation, but remains reasonably common in neighboring Costa Rica.

16 cm; 26–27 g. Male is black, except for white interscapular patch, small white dots on wing-coverts, white tips on outer tail feathers, dark grey posterior underparts. Female has forehead, crown and side of head blackish-grey, narrowly streaked white, upperparts and wings very dark greyish-brown, anterior scapulars edged white, wing-coverts spotted white, tail blackish-brown, outer feathers spotted white; underparts olive, darker anteriorly, streaked white on throat, breast and belly. Juvenile is like female but browner, with larger spots, especially on wing-coverts; subadult male resembles adult but more brownish, and anterior underparts streaked white.

Pacific slope in Costa Rica (except extreme NW) and W Panama (Chiriquí, S Veraguas, Los Santos).

Little published. Feeds on variety of insects, particularly orthopterans such as crickets (Gryllidae), grasshoppers and katydids (Ensifera), also cockroaches (Blattodea), mantids (Mantidae), stick-insects (Phasmatidae), true bugs (Hemiptera, Homoptera), beetles (Coleoptera), and larvae of Lepidoptera; also other arthropods, such as spiders. Pairs or individuals forage mostly in vine tangles, from ground level to 15 m, moving even more sluggishly than most antshrikes, with short hops separated by lengthy pauses of up to 30 seconds to scan for prey. Reaches out, up or down, or lunges to glean prey from all leaf, stem, vine and branch surfaces with quick stabbing motions of the bill; routinely probes suspended dead leaves, often sitting astride larger leaves and probing and tearing vigorously with the bill. In drier forest habitats, also commonly forages on ground, where it probes in the litter, turning and tossing leaves with its bill, frequently jumping up to a low perch less than 1 m above ground to scan, before dropping back down. Often associated with mixed-species flocks. Occasionally follows army ants (Eciton) to feed on flushed arthropod prey.

Loudsong a moderately long (e.g. 18 notes, 2·5 seconds) series of abrupt, dry notes, accelerating and rising in pitch slightly at beginning and then constant in pitch and pace, ending with longer, downslurred, emphatic note; also a loud sharp note repeated 5–35 times at rate of c. 5 notes per second. Call an extended, complaining note, usually repeated 2–3 times.