Pearly Antshrike

Megastictus margaritatus

Antbirds, Antshrikes, Antwrens, and Antvireos · Passeriformes · Rare

The Pearly Antshrike (Megastictus margaritatus) is a rare antbirds, antshrikes, antwrens, and antvireo found in 5 countries, weighing about 20 g. The pearly antshrike is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds".

Least ConcernRareEats invertebratesforestcup nest20 g

About the Pearly Antshrike

The pearly antshrike is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

The pearly antshrike is 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 18 to 21 g (0.63 to 0.74 oz). Adult males have a gray face, crown, and upperparts with white tips on the uppertail coverts. Their wings are black with large round white spots on the coverts and tertials. Their tail is black with white feather tips. Their underparts are gray that is lighter on the chin, throat, and the belly center. Adult females have a yellowish brown face, crown, and upperparts with a blackish tinge on the crown and pale buffish spots on the uppertail coverts. Voice: The pearly antshrike's song is "2–3 slowly delivered whistles, slurred up and down, followed by 6–7 flat raspy notes at much faster pace". It has been written as "whee? whee? whee? jrr-jrr-jrr-jrr-jrr-jrr". Its alarm or contact call is "whistled, upslurred 'wheet' notes" and it makes a "hard rattle" in agonistic encounters.

Where it lives

Recorded as a rare visitor in Venezuela.

When to see it

The Pearly Antshrike can be seen all year round, with peak activity in August. It is a resident species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Pearly Antshrike?
The pearly antshrike is 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 18 to 21 g (0.63 to 0.74 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Pearly Antshrike?
The Pearly Antshrike is a small sized bird weighing about 20 g.
Where can you see a Pearly Antshrike?
The Pearly Antshrike occurs in 5 countries, including Peru, Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador.
What birds look similar to a Pearly Antshrike?
The Pearly Antshrike is most easily confused with the East Andean Antbird, the Ash-breasted Antbird and the Black-tailed Antbird.
Is the Pearly Antshrike endangered?
The Pearly Antshrike is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Pearly Antshrike for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

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