The barred antshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus) is a passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in the Neotropics in Mexico, every country in Central America, Trinidad and Tobago, and every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay. There is also one accepted record from southern Texas.
Taxonomy and systematics
The barred antshrike was described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1764 and given the binomial name Lanius doliatus. The type locality was subsequently designated as Surinam. The specific epithet is from Neo-Latin doliatus meaning "barred".
The barred antshrike has these 12 subspecies:
T. d. intermedius Ridgway, 1888
T. d. nesiotes Wetmore, 1970
T. d. eremnus Wetmore, 1957
T. d. nigricristatus Lawrence, 1865
T. d. albicans Lafresnaye, 1844
T. d. nigrescens Lawrence, 1867
T. d. tobagensis Hartert, EJO & Goodson, 1917
T. d. doliatus (Linnaeus, 1764)
T. d. difficilis Hellmayr, 1903
T. d. capistratus Lesson, RP, 1840
T. d. radiatus Vieillot, 1816
T. d. cadwaladeri Bond, J & Meyer de Schauensee, 1940
Subspecies T. d. capistratus was proposed as a separate species but the data presented confirmed its treatment as a subspecies of the barred antshrike.
What is now Chapman's antshrike (T. azrumae) was for a time treated as a subspecies of the barred antshrike.
Description
The barred antshrike is 15 to 18.5 cm (5.9 to 7.3 in) long and weighs 24 to 32 g (0.85 to 1.1 oz). Members of genus Thamnophilus are largish members of the antbird family; all have stout bills with a hook like those of true shrikes. This species exhibits marked sexual dimorphism though both sexes have a bushy crest. Adult males of the nominate subspecies T. d. doliatus are almost entirely plumaged with alternating black and white bars. The black bars on their upperparts are thicker than the white bars; on their underparts the black bars are thinner than the white ones. Their face, throat,...
