Appearance
The upland antshrike is 14.5 to 15 cm long and weighs about 20 g. 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 have medium gray upperparts with a blacker crown and a hidden white patch between their scapulars. Their wings are black or brownish black and their wing coverts have white tips. Their tail is black or brownish black with white tips on all but the central pair of feathers. Their underparts are a slightly paler gray than their upperparts. Adult females have a dark rufous crown and nape and a gray face with white streaks or spots. Their upperparts are dark olive-brown. Their underparts are tawny olive or tawny brown. Both sexes have a highly variable iris color, a black maxilla, a paler mandible, and gray or blue-gray legs and feet. Juvenile males are similar to adult females but have buff spots on their wing coverts and buff tips on their tail feathers.Distribution
The upland antshrike is found in the Andean foothills from the Department of Puno in extreme southeastern Peru southeast to Cochabamba and western Santa Cruz departments in Bolivia. It inhabits the edges of humid montane forest, where it favors dense shrubby areas and vine tangles, and almost never penetrates far into the forest interior. It also occurs in newer regrowth in landslide scars and along roads. One publication states its elevational range as between 800 and 1,000 m in Peru and up to 1,700 m in Bolivia. Another states a wider range in Bolivia of 600 to 1,900 m.Status
The IUCN originally in 1988 assessed the upland antshrike as Near Threatened, in 1994 as Unknown, and since 2004 as of Least Concern. Its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered "poorly known" in Peru and "uncommon to locally fairly common" in Bolivia. "At least in the short term, Upland Antshrike may even benefit from disturbance, as it can colonize newly created young second growth and edge habitats; but presumably it remains vulnerable to larger-scale habitat modifications, such as whole conversion of forests to agriculture."Habitat
The upland antshrike is found in the Andean foothills from the Department of Puno in extreme southeastern Peru southeast to Cochabamba and western Santa Cruz departments in Bolivia. It inhabits the edges of humid montane forest, where it favors dense shrubby areas and vine tangles, and almost never penetrates far into the forest interior. It also occurs in newer regrowth in landslide scars and along roads. One publication states its elevational range as between 800 and 1,000 m in Peru and up to 1,700 m in Bolivia. Another states a wider range in Bolivia of 600 to 1,900 m.Reproduction
Nothing is known about the upland antshrike's breeding biology.{| cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="background-color:var; color:var;"
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Songs and calls
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Food
The upland antshrike's diet is not known in detail but is mostly insects. It usually forages singly or in pairs and infrequently joins mixed-species feeding flocks. It usually forages between 1.5 and 3 m above the ground but will feed as high as 6 m. It gleans prey from leaves, stems, vines, and branches while perched and with short upward sallies. It also searches in clusters of dead leaves caught in vine tangles.References:
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