Typical Antbirds (Thamnophilidae)

Black-crested Antshrike (Sakesphorus canadensis) - HBW 8, p. 541

French: Batara huppé German: Schwarzgesicht-Ameisenwürger Spanish: Batará Crestinegro

Taxonomy: Lanius canadensis Linnaeus, 1766, Canada; error = Cayenne, French Guiana.
Probably forms a superspecies with S. cristatus and S. bernardi. Race pulchellus appears to be morphologically and vocally distinct from others and may deserve species status; this taxon and proposed races phainoleucus (Riohacha, in N Colombia) and paraguanae (Paraguaná Peninsula, in NW Venezuela) appear to intergrade, and are better merged. Differences among some or all of the other races may be clinal, and individual plumage variation within each substantial; distributional limits therefore unclear. Six subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

pulchellus (Cabanis & Heine, 1859) - N Colombia (Caribbean slope from Guajira S to N Chocó, lower Magdalena Valley S to S Santander) and extreme NW Venezuela (Zulia, W & C Falcón, Lara).
intermedius (Cherrie, 1916) - E Colombia (Vichada and Meta) and Venezuela N of R Orinoco (E Falcón, Portuguesa and Apure E to Anzoátegui).
trinitatis (Ridgway, 1891) - NE & S Venezuela (Sucre, Monagas, Delta Amacuro and, S of R Orinoco, Bolívar and N Amazonas), Trinidad and Guyana.

See all 6 subspecies

pulchellus (Cabanis & Heine, 1859) - N Colombia (Caribbean slope from Guajira S to N Chocó, lower Magdalena Valley S to S Santander) and extreme NW Venezuela (Zulia, W & C Falcón, Lara).
intermedius (Cherrie, 1916) - E Colombia (Vichada and Meta) and Venezuela N of R Orinoco (E Falcón, Portuguesa and Apure E to Anzoátegui).
trinitatis (Ridgway, 1891) - NE & S Venezuela (Sucre, Monagas, Delta Amacuro and, S of R Orinoco, Bolívar and N Amazonas), Trinidad and Guyana.
canadensis (Linnaeus, 1766) - Surinam and coastal French Guiana.
fumosus J. T. Zimmer, 1933 - SW Venezuela (S Amazonas) and extreme N Brazil (N Roraima, extreme N Pará).
loretoyacuensis (Bartlett, 1882) - locally in NW Amazonian Brazil (along R Negro, R Branco and R Solimões), extreme SE Colombia (SE Amazonas) and NE Peru (along R Amazon, lower R Marañón and R Ucayali).