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Summary

The russet antshrike (Thamnistes anabatinus) is a passerine bird in subfamily Myrmornithinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Mexico, every Central American country except El Salvador, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and possibly Peru.

Taxonomy and systematics

The russet antshrike was described by the English ornithologists Philip Sclater and Osbert Salvin in 1860. They erected the genus Thamnistes to accommodate the species and coined the binomial name Thamnistes anabatinus. The specific epithet is from the Ancient Greek anabatēs meaning "climber" or "mounter".

The taxonomy of the russet antshrike is unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and the Clements taxonomy assign it these six subspecies:

T. a. anabatinus Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1860 T. a. saturatus Ridgway, 1908 T. a. coronatus Nelson, 1912 T. a. intermedius Chapman, 1914 T. a. gularis Phelps, WH & Phelps, WH Jr, 1956 T. a. aequatorialis Sclater, PL, 1862

However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) treats T. a. gularis and T. a. aequatorialis as the "eastern russet antshrike" (T. aequatorialis) and the other four subspecies as the "western russet antshrike" (T. anabatinus). In addition, it includes T. a. rufescens as a third subspecies of the "eastern" species; since 2018 IOC and Clements have treated it as a separate species, the rufescent antshrike (T. rufescens). Clements does group T. a. gularis and T. a. aequatorialis as the "russet antshrike (Andean)" and the other four subspecies as the "russet antshrike (tawny)" within the single species.

This article follows the six-subspecies model.

Description

The russet antshrike is 13 to 15 cm (5.1 to 5.9 in) long and weighs about 19 to 24 g (0.67 to 0.85 oz). The species has a rather stocky body and a heavy bill with a hooked tip. The sexes have almost identical plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies T. a. anabatinus have an olive-yellow supercilium, a...