Black-crowned antshrike

The black-crowned antshrike (Thamnophilus atrinucha) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in every Central American country except El Salvador and in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

The black-crowned antshrike is 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 20 to 28.5 g (0.71 to 1.0 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 significant sexual dimorphism. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have slaty gray upperparts with a gray forehead, a black crown and nape, a hidden white patch between their scapulars, and white-tipped black uppertail coverts. Their face is grizzled gray. Their wings are black with white tips on the coverts and white or gray edges on the flight feathers. Their tail is black with a white spot at the end of each feather. Their underparts, including the underside of their tail, are slaty gray. Adult females have brown to buffy brown upperparts. Their wings are fuscous-black with brown edges and white tips on the flight feathers. Their underparts are buffy brown to grayish brown. Both sexes have a brownish red to chocolate-brown iris and medium to dark gray legs and feet. Males have a dark gray bill and females light gray. Juveniles have dull cinnamon-brown upperparts and grayish white underparts. Males of subspecies T. a. gorgonae have more gray on their forehead and lighter gray underparts than the nominate. Females of gorgonae have a much darker crown, more rufous upperparts, and darker underparts than the nominate.