Thamnophilus caerulescens
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The variable antshrike (Thamnophilus caerulescens) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.
The variable antshrike was described by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816 and given its current binomial name Thamnophilus caerulescens. Major taxonomic systems assign these eight subspecies to the variable antshrike:
The variable antshrike's highly variable plumage, some variations in the voice, and its unusual distribution have resulted in widespread speculations that it involves more than one species. Studies involving mtDNA and voice of the Bolivian populations, which is a meeting point for several of the distinctly different subspecies, did not support the theory of several species, instead suggesting that much of the vocal variation is clinal. and geneflow between various populations remains uninterrupted. Subspecies T. c. cearensis in northeastern Brazil, which also is relatively distinctive, was not included in these studies, and it therefore remains unclear if it is worthy of species recognition. Another... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 11 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Belo Horizonte | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Campinas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Santos | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Maceió | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 10 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Antshrike sighting in Manu National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 623rd most-seen of the 641 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Antshrike in Manu National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Variable Antshrike sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
11th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Variable Antshrike sightings, Manu National Park ranks 11th at under 5%. The best odds are in El Impenetrable National Park (Argentina, about 50%), Itatiaia National Park (Brazil, about 50%) and El Palmar National Park (Argentina, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Thamnophilus
The closest relatives of the Variable Antshrike that you can see in Manu National Park (genus Thamnophilus, Typical Antshrikes) are Plain-winged Antshrike (about 20%) and Barred Antshrike (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Variable Antshrike is recorded against all the birds logged in Manu National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
