Natterer's Slaty-Antshrike Thamnophilus stictocephalus Scientific name definitions

The Natterer’s Slaty-Antshrike is the southern Amazonian representative of the former Eastern Slaty-Antshrike species complex, and is distributed across Brazil south of the Amazon as far as extreme northeast Bolivia. It seems to prefer more open areas within lowland evergreen forest, especially around small clearings and light gaps, particularly on sandy soils, and the species has also been found in gallery forest in pre-Amazonian regions. The Natterer’s Slaty-Antshrike is usually found in pairs, more occasionally alone, but does not seem to have been recorded joining mixed-species flocks, unlike some of the other members of the superspecies. Its song is quite easily distinguishable from all other representatives of the Thamnophilus punctatus complex, and the species’ plumage is also obviously different, to varying degrees, from any of the three more southerly and easterly distributed taxa.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Loudsong an accelerating series (e.g. 20 notes, 3 seconds) of emphatic notes, generally level in frequency and pitch, sometimes rising or dropping off at end, only initial notes countable; rattle is a growl extending into a roll, so rapid that individual notes barely distinguishable. Calls include short and long “caw” notes and abrupt growl.